Busan gears up to host World Heritage Committee, eyes wartime site inscription

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Busan gears up to host World Heritage Committee, eyes wartime site inscription

Published: 09 Apr. 2026, 16:13 Updated: 09 Apr. 2026, 20:00

JIN EUN-SOO
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

The 47th session of World Heritage Committee is being held in Paris, France in 2025. [KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE]

A little more than three months remain until Busan hosts the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in July. Hosting the event — Korea's first since joining the convention in 1988 — carries significance beyond simply serving as the venue.

The World Heritage Committee is the primary decision-making body on matters related to the World Heritage Convention, overseeing the inscription, conservation and protection of World Heritage sites. The annual event is attended by the Unesco Director-General and delegations from the convention’s 196 States Parties.

The 11-day event will take place at Busan's Bexco convention hall from July 19 to 29.

Korea hopes the global gathering will help expand domestic and international networks to support the inscription of the Sites of the Busan Wartime Capital on Unesco's World Heritage list. The nomination comprises 11 key sites in Busan from the Korean War (1950-1953).

As the nation's second-largest city after Seoul and far south from it, Busan served as the country's temporary capital during the wartime evacuation, maintaining government functions, facilitating international cooperation and accommodating displaced civilians. The 11 sites include the temporary government complex, U.S. Embassy, Ami-dong Tombstone Culture Village and more.

The property was added to Unesco's tentative World Heritage list in 2023, marking Korea's first bid to inscribe a modern heritage site. Busan plans to apply for Unesco's preliminary assessment this year.

Foreign tourists pose for a photo in front of a "Busan is Good" installation — a slogan for Busan — in July 2025. [NEWS1]

Korea also plans to use the event to promote Korea's cultural heritage and highlight Busan's appeal.

During the event, some 100 gatekeepers from Seoul's Gyeongbok Palace will travel to the coastal city to safeguard the conventional hall. A K-Heritage House will also be set up for several exhibitions and hands-on experiences related to Korea's cultural history.

The committee is expected to be attended by some 2,400 visitors from abroad and 600 from home.

Busan's appeal will be on full display during the event. Home to some 3.3 million people, the city has long served as both a tourist destination and a business hub, with a distinctive landscape of coastlines and mountains. As a gateway linking Korea with the rest of the world, Busan has fostered an open urban environment where diverse cultures and people converge, making it a frequent host of major international events. Hosting Asia's largest film festival — Busan International Film Festival — has also added a layer of cultural richness to the city.

Preliminary forums will take place from July 13 including Young Professional Forum and Site Managers' Forum. The Young Professional Forum will bring together some 30 young professionals in the cultural heritage sectors from around the world for discussions, site visits and presentation of the Youth Declaration. The Site Managers' Forum will allow some 100 participants to share experiences of managing and preserving heritage sites in their own countries.

The plenary session will cover agenda items related to conservation, inscription, policy and general review.

Meanwhile, last month, the Korea Heritage Service unveiled the official emblem of the committee inspired by the roof of Unesco-listed Jongmyo Shrine's main hall.

The emblem features a bold horizontal brushstroke that reflects the long roofline of Jongmyo’s Jeongjeon Hall, a 101-meter-wide (331-foot-wide) wooden structure from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The emblem takes the shape of a traditional roof, made of the curved clay tiles ubiquitous in Korean architecture.

Earlier this week, music producer Won Il was appointed the creative director for the event, overseeing its opening and closing ceremonies.

BY JIN EUN-SOO [[email protected]]