Dinosaur expert seeks to redefine Unesco's role at this year's heritage committee

[INTERVIEW]

Huh Min is a dinosaur expert. He even has a dinosaur named after him, thanks to his contributions to Korea’s paleontology.

That made his appointment as chief of the Korea Heritage Service last year quite unexpected. Many wondered what a scholar best known for studying prehistoric life could contribute to the agency overseeing the nation’s heritage — especially since 2026 marks a critical milestone in South Korea’s cultural diplomacy, with the country to host the 48th session of Unesco’s World Heritage Committee in Busan.

His paleontological background, however, is actually proving helpful.

As a pioneer of dinosaur research in South Korea, Huh has spent at least 25 years working closely with Unesco to excavate, promote and preserve sites of dinosaur remains in the country. Notably, he led the inscription of fossilized dinosaur sites along South Korea’s southern coast on Unesco’s Tentative List of World Heritage sites in 2002.

“People thought of Korea as a country without dinosaurs, but that perception changed after Korean scholars began publishing world-class papers,” Huh said in an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily at the agency’s headquarters in Daejeon on June 29.

“The site on South Korea’s southern coast was extremely well preserved, and I thought that it deserved greater global recognition, which is why I pushed for the listing.”

That same tenacity will be put to work when South Korea hosts the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan from July 19 to 29. This marks the first time that the nation has organized the event since becoming a member of the World Heritage Convention in 1988.

Huh intends to use this year’s forum as an opportunity to redefine how people view Unesco and the committee — not simply as a body that designates World Heritage sites, but as a global forum where experts come together to tackle the various challenges facing those sites today.

South Korea, he believes, can lead that conversation.

“I want it to delve more deeply into the cultural issues of the moment,” he said. “And that’s how I want to present Korea at the committee this year.”

To put that ambition into action, Huh has a few concrete plans.

A turning point

Until now, the World Heritage Committee has been known largely for inscribing new World Heritage sites — a role that has at times drawn scrutiny regarding the system’s legitimacy and relevance.

At the 48th session in Busan, Huh will propose adding a sixth “C” — “collaboration” — to Unesco’s existing “5C” framework for protecting World Heritage sites. The “5C” stands for credibility, conservation, capacity building, communication and communities.

“With wars such as the one in Afghanistan years ago and in Ukraine now, and with climate change slowly submerging small islands, cultural heritage is being destroyed — and a single country cannot fix that,” he said.

“Unesco can’t keep saying ‘preserve this [heritage]’ or pointing out what’s been done wrong. We must solve [the problem] together. That’s why I’m proposing [adding] collaboration as a major agenda item at this session.”

His proposal will be put into practice first in South Korea when the committee convenes later this month.

A multinational seminar on getbol, or mudflats, near the Yellow Sea will take place on July 25, with North Korea and China invited, Huh said.

“It would be really nice to have North Korea attend, but if things don’t work out, it would attend by video, according to the Unesco World Heritage Centre,” he said.

Huh envisions a discussion in which the three countries bordering the Yellow Sea’s tidal flats consider ways to jointly research migratory birds’ flight paths and wetlands to find better preservation methods.

“We will discuss how to hand down World Heritage to future generations.”

Four getbol sites off South Korea’s west coast are expected to be inscribed on the World Heritage list — adding to the four locations already inscribed — at the 48th session, following a recommendation from a Unesco advisory body.

China had its own tidal flats along the Yellow Sea coast and Bohai Gulf inscribed as a World Heritage site in 2019. North Korea, too, added its wetlands near Mundok County to its Tentative List earlier this year.

“By discussing the getbol that extends from South Korea to North Korea and China […] we will examine not only the ecological excellence of the tidal flats and the science of their conservation but also our migratory birds’ flyways — all while considering how we can hand down our World Heritage to future generations,” Huh said.

The Korea Heritage Service said that it will eventually target a joint World Heritage inscription for getbol.

During the committee, South Korea’s recently inscribed petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream in Ulsan will serve as a model case for promoting collaboration. The petroglyphs, often at risk of flooding from a nearby dam, have long defied efforts to find a solution that both saves the historic site and serves residents’ needs.

“Instead of just concealing the problem [involving the petroglyphs], I’m going to put it out there so we can openly discuss a solution, which we’ve been trying to do for the past 25 years,” Huh said.

Beyond palaces and royal tombs

South Korean heritage, also known as K-heritage, had a stellar year in 2025, when a record 18 million people visited the country’s palaces and royal tombs. Of that number, 4.3 million were foreigners — a sevenfold increase from 2022, when numbers were beginning to recover after the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I really thank Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ [2021-25] and ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ [2025], as well as, most recently, BTS,” Huh said.

“A few years back, people went to palaces when they had nowhere else to go. We went there to rest or pass the time, but these days, young people and foreigners actively seek [them] out, and I feel truly overwhelmed.”

To encourage that enthusiasm, the heritage agency plans to inject 150 million won ($97,100) into various palace-related programs for foreigners this year.

The next mission is spreading that interest to regional areas.

Huh has set his sights on a few projects aimed at resolving the imbalance.

One is a program tentatively titled “K-Stay.”

“We’re developing a program [...] in which people can stay and spend time at South Korea’s old houses, historic villages and heritage sites,” Huh said.

“Until now, we’ve focused too much on preserving things exactly as they are. K-Stay is built on the idea of using while preserving.”

One issue that Huh identified as urgent was the toilet facilities at old houses.

Previous regulations that limited the installation of toilets inside or immediately adjacent to the main building made renovations difficult.

“We have so many luxurious hotels in South Korea. Who would want to stay at accommodations like these [without modern restrooms], except for a few foreigners who would stay for maybe one night just for the sake of the experience?” Huh asked.

As a result, the Korea Heritage Service recently revised its standards, allowing for basic facilities such as bathrooms and showers to be added in separate but connected building extensions.

“And then there’s the bedding,” Huh said. “We plan to build public laundry facilities — the entire cost of which [the agency] will cover — for residents.”

“This way, foreigners will come and stay to experience the scenic sites nearby,” he added.

Huh has visited more than 100 Unesco World Heritage and Global Geopark sites worldwide. But nowhere, he says, has he seen a view as splendid as Suwolbong Peak and the nearby island of Chagwi, off the western coast of Jeju.

“That’s a truly photogenic spot. In the spring, red, yellow and white wildflowers cover the area, and because the ground is formed from volcanic ash, the reddish backdrop creates a picturesque scene,” he said.

“Across from Suwolbong Peak by boat is Chagwi Island. There are many islands near Jeju that people already know, such as Mara. But no one lives here [on Chagwi] — only a lighthouse stands. There are so many beautiful places in every corner of South Korea.”

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