10 Years of Effort, Bearing Fruit... Gyeongnam Province, Gaya Tumuli World Heritage Registration Ceremony

Governor Park Wansu: "We Must Pass on the Glorious Gaya Culture to Future Generations"

On the afternoon of the 21st, Gyeongsangnam-do held a commemorative ceremony at the Haman Gymnasium to celebrate the inscription of the Gaya Tumuli Groups preserved in five cities and counties within the province as a World Heritage site.

A commemorative ceremony for the Gaya Tumuli World Heritage inscription was held at the Gimhae Gymnasium in Gyeongnam.
[Photo by Lee Seryeong]

The ceremony was attended by Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongsangnam-do; Hong Tae-yong, Mayor of Gimhae; Jo Geun-je, County Governor of Haman; Lee Sang-geun, County Governor of Goseong; Seong Nak-in, County Governor of Changnyeong; and Kim Yoon-cheol, County Governor of Hapcheon, all of whom are heads of organizations located in the Gaya Tumuli Groups.

Members of the National Assembly, provincial council members, city and county council members, the Gaya Tumuli Residents Protection Group, and local residents also gathered, with about 800 people commemorating the day.

Gyeongnam Province presented commendations and plaques of appreciation to those who contributed to the registration of the Gaya Tumuli.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

Gyeongsangnam-do awarded commendations to local residents who worked hard for the inscription of the Gaya Tumuli Groups as a World Heritage site, and presented plaques of appreciation to institutions that promoted public consensus and supported the inscription.

The province also announced a comprehensive plan to systematically preserve and utilize the Gaya cultural heritage in Gyeongsangnam-do, including the Gaya Tumuli Groups.

The plan includes establishing an integrated World Heritage Management Center and attracting the Gaya Core Relics Restoration and Maintenance Organization to systematize the preservation of Gaya cultural heritage.

Over the next five years, a budget of 235.9 billion KRW will be invested to activate research, excavation, and restoration of Gaya culture, and efforts will be made to elevate excavated relics to national cultural heritage status.

Customized education by target group, museum-linked programs, experiential events, and other Gaya cultural content will be fostered, and academic conferences will be held to expand cultural exchanges domestically and internationally.

Plans are also in place to revitalize Gaya festivals by linking five Gaya cultural festivals within the province.

Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, is delivering congratulatory remarks at the Gaya Tumuli World Heritage inscription ceremony.
[Photo by Lee Se-ryeong]

Governor Park said, “Through more than ten years of effort, the Gaya Tumuli Groups have been inscribed as a World Heritage site, firmly establishing themselves as a heritage of humanity beyond Korea,” adding, “The brilliant history of Gaya culture must be re-examined and passed on not only to the people but also to future generations.”

He continued, “In the future, visits to the Gaya Tumuli Groups will increase, leading to the revitalization of tourism and businesses in the province,” and said, “Through tourism activation via the Gaya Tumuli Groups, tourism will become the second growth engine of Gyeongsangnam-do, and by promoting and re-examining Gaya culture, we hope to reclaim our past history.”

The Gaya Tumuli Groups are representative burial mounds of Geumgwan Gaya, which formed the Gaya Confederacy from the 1st to 5th centuries, and are considered heritage that well demonstrates the early types of various attributes of tombs shared by the Gaya political entity.

The inscription as a World Heritage site was finalized at the 45th World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 17.

The seven Gaya Tumuli Groups inscribed as World Heritage sites include: in Gyeongsangnam-do, Daeseong-dong in Gimhae, Malsan in Haman, Gyodong and Songhyeon-dong in Changnyeong, Songhak-dong in Goseong, and Okjeon in Hapcheon; in Gyeongsangbuk-do, Jisandong in Goryeong; and in Jeonbuk, Yugok and Durak-ri Tumuli Groups in Namwon.

Gyeongsangnam-do is home to 67% of the over 2,500 Gaya relics nationwide. The province began efforts to inscribe its Gaya Tumuli Groups as World Heritage sites in 2013, and after more than ten years, has achieved the fruit of inscription.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.