Seoul: Thousands of global delegates gathered in Busan on Sunday as the UNESCO World Heritage Committee opened its annual session for the first time in the country with a ceremony attended by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
Around 3,000 participants from 196 member states, international organisations and nongovernmental entities are expected to attend the 10-day meeting at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center in the port city, some 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to organisers, Yonhap News Agency reported.
It marks the first time South Korea has hosted the meeting since joining the UNESCO World Heritage Convention in 1988.
Key figures attending the ceremony also included UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany, Assistant Director-General for Culture Nayef Al-Fayez and Lazare Eloundou Assomo, director of the World Heritage Center.
In a congratulatory address, President Lee emphasised that world heritage is not merely a legacy of the past but a symbol uniting humanity across borders, serving as a foundation for peace and cooperation.
"The world can foster mutual respect for each other's history and strengthen trust and solidarity within the global community in the process of jointly preserving and remembering world heritage," Lee said.
Highlighting the nation's emergence as a cultural powerhouse whose stories move global audiences, he added, "We will work with the international community to build a more peaceful and prosperous future together with UNESCO."
El-Enany noted that South Korea has so far inscribed 17 sites on the World Heritage List, saying they reflect "the diversity of Korean history."
Expressing appreciation to the South Korean government and the city of Busan, he said the committee would work over the next 10 days to "revitalize the world through the living power of culture."
The opening ceremony featured a series of performances showcasing the past, present and future of Korean culture.
They began with a reenactment of a traditional gate-opening ceremony by royal guards of Gyeongbok Palace, the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), followed by modern reinterpretations of traditional dances, including "ilmu," a Confucian ritual court dance performed at royal ancestral ceremonies; "taepyeongmu," a royal dance wishing for peace and prosperity; and "ganggangsullae," a seasonal circle dance performed by women under the full moon.
K-pop star G-Dragon highlighted the role of art in safeguarding heritage in his speech as an honorary ambassador for the session.
"Protecting heritage is not only about preserving the past but about building peace for the future," he told the delegates. "I believe art can also play a powerful role in inspiring collective action and changing the world."
Dressed in a white suit, he expressed his readiness to contribute to global efforts to protect World Heritage sites currently at risk from war and climate change.
As UNESCO's key decision-making body for cultural and natural heritage, the committee meets each year to review nominations for inscription, assess the conservation status of listed sites and discuss broader policy issues related to the convention.
The 48th session will be chaired by Lee Byong-hyun, a former South Korean ambassador to UNESCO, in line with the customary practice of the host country presiding over the meeting.
The committee will review 33 proposals -- 30 new nominations and three requests to extend or modify existing World Heritage listings -- in plenary sessions scheduled from July 20-29.
Among them is a proposed extension of South Korea's "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats" site, which would add four coastal wetlands to the property inscribed in 2021.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature, the committee's advisory body on natural heritage, has recommended approval of the extension, which is typically endorsed by the committee.
The committee is also expected to discuss a draft decision on Japan's implementation of follow-up measures for the Sado mine World Heritage site.
The draft recommends that Japan take further steps to adequately reflect the mine's "whole history" regarding the wartime mobilisation of Korean labourers.
More than 1,500 Koreans were mobilised to work at the mine during Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. Once known for its gold production, the complex was later used to produce war supplies for the Japanese imperial army during World War II.
Japan promised to thoroughly convey the history of the forced conscription of Koreans in line with UNESCO's recommendations when the site was added to the World Heritage list in 2024, but the draft decision notes Tokyo's related efforts remain insufficient.
The draft decision is likely to be adopted during the 48th session unless member states object. While the recommendation is binding within UNESCO's follow-up framework, its limited enforceability leaves it unclear how fully Japan will comply.
Also drawing attention is whether the session will adopt a "Busan declaration," which would introduce "collaboration" as an additional strategic objective alongside the committee's existing five "C" priorities for the effective implementation of the World Heritage Convention.
The five are credibility, conservation, capacity-building, communication and communities. The proposed addition reflects growing calls within UNESCO to strengthen international cooperation in addressing the increasingly complex challenges facing heritage sites, including climate change, according to Seoul officials.
--IANS
