The 'World Heritage Sites at Risk' That Attracted More Attention Than Japan's Sado Mine...

24 New Sites Added to UNESCO World Heritage List
St. Hilarion Monastery Listed Despite Risk Concerns
Korea to Serve as Vice Chair Next Year... Challenge of Bangucheon's Rock Carvings

Twenty-four sites, including Japan's Sado Mine, a forced labor site for Koreans during the Japanese colonial period, have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. According to the Cultural Heritage Administration on the 1st, the 46th World Heritage Committee held in New Delhi, India, newly inscribed nineteen cultural heritage sites, four natural heritage sites, and one mixed heritage site. With this, the total number of World Heritage sites reached 1,223, including 952 cultural heritage sites, 231 natural heritage sites, and 40 mixed heritage sites.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In the Asia-Pacific region, seven sites including Japan’s Niigata Prefecture’s "Sado Mine" and China’s "Central Axis of Beijing: Architectural Ensemble Demonstrating the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital" will be managed as World Heritage sites going forward. The Sado Mine was a site where about 1,500 Koreans were mobilized for forced labor. The South Korean government, which had previously opposed the inscription, changed its stance after the Japanese government agreed to the demand that "the entire history must be reflected" and promised to install related exhibits and hold memorial ceremonies. However, controversy is expected to continue as the exhibition room related to Korean laborers at the nearby Aikawa Local Museum does not explicitly state the "forced nature" of the labor.

Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States’ "Moravian Church Settlements," and China’s "Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf (Phase II)" were expanded by extending their heritage boundaries and re-inscribed. The heritage site that attracted the most attention was the "St. Hilarion Monastery (Tel Umm Amer)" located in the Gaza Strip. Due to the war between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas, it was inscribed through an emergency procedure and simultaneously added to the "List of World Heritage in Danger."

The World Heritage Committee also reviewed the conservation status of inscribed sites during the meeting. They discussed the situations of Ukraine’s "Lviv Historic Centre" and "Odessa Historic Centre," urging Russia to refrain from actions that could cause damage. Senegal’s "Niokolo-Koba National Park," which was listed on the "List of World Heritage in Danger" in 2007, was removed from the list after 17 years in recognition of efforts to protect endangered species.

Meanwhile, the Cultural Heritage Administration, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, conducted various activities as a member state, including holding a seminar on "Participatory Approaches to World Heritage." They also announced plans to expand support and trust funds for capacity building in Africa and small island developing countries. An official stated, "The World Heritage Centre expressed gratitude to our government for supporting the World Heritage Leadership Program."

The next committee meeting will be held next year in Sofia, Bulgaria. South Korea, participating as a vice-chair country of the World Heritage Committee, will challenge the inscription of the "Petroglyphs of Bangudae," considered the essence of prehistoric culture on the Korean Peninsula.

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