Successfully advanced for the 4th time… Active for 4 years until 2027
Ministry of Foreign Affairs “Efforts to reflect the painful history of wartime forced labor”
Korea was elected as a member of the World Heritage Committee, which reviews and decides on UNESCO World Heritage listing. It is evaluated that a new development has been prepared to address the issue of registering Meiji Japan’s industrial revolution heritage.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 23rd, UNESCO was elected as a member of the World Heritage Committee at the 24th Conference of the Parties to the World Heritage Convention held in Paris, France on the 22nd (local time).
As a result, Korea will serve as a member of the World Heritage Committee for four years from this year to 2027. This is the fourth time it has advanced to a member state, following 1997-2003, 2005-2009, and 2013-2017.
The World Heritage Committee is an intergovernmental committee established in accordance with Article 8 of the World Heritage Convention. It inspects and manages the conservation status of heritage listed on the World Heritage List and discusses the listing of new World Heritage sites. It consists of 21 of the 195 countries that are parties to the World Heritage Convention, and member countries are distributed by region.
In this election, in addition to Korea, eight new countries, including Ukraine, Vietnam, Kenya, Senegal, Lebanon, Turkye, Jamaica, and Kazakhstan, entered the World Heritage Committee.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs released data and said, “Korea’s election as a member of the World Heritage Committee is the result of active diplomatic negotiations based on our contribution to the World Heritage system,” adding, “As promised to the international community during the election negotiation process, the government will respond to climate change, “We plan to proactively contribute to the development of the World Heritage system by considering new challenges of the times, such as coexistence between local communities and heritage,” he said.
In particular, it is of great significance that Korea was re-elected for this term.
The World Heritage Committee is currently evaluating whether to register the Sado Mine in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, the site of forced labor for Koreans during the Japanese colonial period, as a World Heritage site, and a final decision will be made next year.
In addition, the management status of Japan’s modern industrial facilities, such as the Hashima (aka Battleship Island) coal mine, which was registered as a World Heritage Site in 2015, is also subject to review. Japan, a party, will be elected in 2021 and serve as a member until 2025.
Lim Soo-seok, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a regular briefing that day, “The government maintains its position that it will work with the international community, including UNESCO, to ensure that the entire history, including the painful history of wartime forced labor, is reflected,” and “We will continue to consult with UNESCO and related countries.” “I’m planning to go out,” he said.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.