UNSRC Korean Cultural Society

Digital Chosun Ilbo

The UNESCO World Heritage List currently includes 878 properties scattered around 145 countries, of which 679 are cultural, 174 natural and 25 mixed. Italy has the most sites on the UNESCO list with 43, followed by Spain with 40 and China with 37.

UNESCO designates sites according to the World Heritage Convention of 1972. The World Heritage Committee holds a regular assembly in June every year, and selects additions out of the applications submitted by countries. Prior to making the decision, the advisory organizations of the UNESCO — International Union for Conservation of Nature and International Council on Monuments and Sites — send experts to the sites.

Korea has eight sites on the list. Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple, Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, or the Depositories for the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks, and Jongmyo Shrine were listed in 1995, followed by Changdeokgung Palace Complex and Hwaseong Fortress in 1997. Gyeongju Historic Areas and Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites were added in 2000, and Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes in 2007. In sum, Korea has seven cultural and one natural sites.

Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, the Depositories for the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks

The Seokguram Grotto represents Shilla culture at its pinnacle, combining elements of architecture, mathematics, geometry, religion and arts. The Bulguk Temple encapsulates doctrines of Buddhism in its architecture, and it is hard to find a similar case even in Asia. The Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon was built in the 15th century to store the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks, and it is highly valued for effective preservation of woodblocks utilizing the given natural surroundings to the maximum. The Jongmyo Shrine is an archetype of a Confucian temple honoring kings and is known for its unique architectural style and remarkable state of preservation.