Korea sets out stall as global heritage rule-maker

• UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting opens in Busan in 2 weeks

• Busan Declaration to call for stronger international collaboration on heritage protection

DAEJEON — Two weeks before delegates from around the world gather in Busan for the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, officials at the Korea Heritage Service are conducting last-minute inspections, coordinating with partner agencies and fine-tuning every detail ahead of the country's biggest heritage diplomacy event to date.

The committee meeting, scheduled for July 19-29, will mark the first time Korea has hosted UNESCO's annual World Heritage gathering and chaired the committee.

For Korea Heritage Service Administrator Huh Min, the goal extends well beyond delivering a successful international event.

He sees the gathering as a springboard to reposition Korea within the global heritage system — not simply as a country with a growing roster of World Heritage sites, but as one that helps shape the international agenda on heritage conservation and cooperation.

"Korea has faithfully implemented the World Heritage Convention while setting a high standard for heritage management," Huh said in a recent interview with The Korea Herald.

"Now, we should become a leading country in shaping international discussions on how to safeguard heritage in an era of climate change, armed conflict and increasingly complex global challenges."

The ambition reflects mounting threats facing World Heritage sites worldwide. Armed conflicts have devastated cultural landmarks in countries including Afghanistan and Ukraine, while instability across the Middle East has put other historic sites at risk. Climate change is also accelerating coastal erosion, rising sea levels and extreme weather, threatening archaeological sites and monuments across the globe.

"If the past was about securing World Heritage inscriptions, the future is about protecting 'Outstanding Universal Value' and ensuring heritage is preserved and managed sustainably," Huh said. Outstanding Universal Value is the UNESCO concept used to identify cultural and natural heritage whose significance transcends national boundaries and is considered important to all humanity.

Huh emphasized that such challenges can no longer be addressed by individual governments.

As host of this year's committee meeting, Korea plans to propose a "Busan Declaration" calling for stronger international cooperation to protect World Heritage from threats including armed conflict, climate change and other crises.

The declaration would also call for expanding UNESCO's long-standing "5C" strategic objectives — credibility, conservation, capacity-building, communication and communities — by adding a sixth principle: collaboration. The proposal underscores that safeguarding humanity's shared heritage requires collective international action.

Huh noted that Korea has increasingly sought to contribute to heritage conservation beyond its own borders.

The Korean heritage agency has taken part in preservation projects at sites including the Ramesseum in Egypt and the Basilica of Saint-Denis in France, as well as underwater archaeological research off the coast of Vietnam and conservation efforts related to Peru's Machu Picchu. At the same time, the government agency has continued to invest in digital documentation, restoration science and AI-assisted conservation technologies.

Huh also sees the Busan meeting as a starting point rather than the culmination of that effort: "The meeting itself is important. But what matters even more is what comes afterward."

After the committee session, the agency hopes to launch an annual Busan Forum bringing together governments, conservation experts and international organizations to continue discussions on emerging challenges, including post-conflict reconstruction, climate adaptation and the use of artificial intelligence in heritage conservation.

Turning global attention into regional tourism

For Huh, the Busan meeting is not only about diplomacy but also about redirecting the global fascination with Korean culture toward the country's lesser-known historic sites. The agency hopes the committee meeting will become a gateway to regional tourism.

A wide range of cultural programs are being prepared to encourage visitors to venture beyond Seoul and Busan and experience Korea's heritage firsthand.

During the committee session, participants will be invited to explore a sprawling Korea Pavilion, featuring exhibitions on Korean heritage, immersive media art, performances of intangible cultural heritage and hands-on traditional experiences. A special performance of the royal palace guard changing ceremony will travel from Seoul's Gyeongbokgung to Busan. Templestay programs and World Heritage tour courses are also being prepared.

The initiative reflects a broader shift in Korean tourism. Government surveys show that, after Korean popular culture, traditional culture has become the second-leading reason foreign visitors choose to travel to the country. Travelers are also increasingly seeking immersive cultural experiences rather than simply visiting landmarks or filming locations.

In Huh's view, heritage is uniquely positioned to meet that demand.

"K-Heritage is the foundation of K-culture," he said. "Many people first discover Korea through popular culture. We want them to stay longer, travel farther and experience the deeper stories that have shaped Korean culture."

He noted more than 17.8 million foreign tourists visited royal palaces, Jongmyo Shrine and the royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty last year, the highest figure on record. This spring's K-Royal Culture Festival also drew record attendance, including a record number of overseas visitors. He hinted that the agency plans to expand the number of admission slots reserved for overseas visitors for next year's festival.

The opportunity extends well beyond Seoul. Huh noted that nearly 70 percent of Korea's nationally designated and registered heritage sites were located outside the Seoul metropolitan area.

"If we can transform local heritage into compelling cultural destinations, we can encourage visitors to travel beyond the capital and breathe new life into regional communities," he said.

The vision includes developing heritage stays by converting historic homes and modern heritage buildings into places where visitors can stay, combining this with local cuisine, cultural experiences and visits to nearby sites.

"We're not simply trying to increase visitor numbers," Huh said. "Our goal is to uncover the stories embedded in these places, help more people experience their value and create a virtuous circle in which heritage revitalizes local communities."

Huh pointed to Chagwido, a pair of islands off Jeju's western coast designated as a natural monument, as one of the destinations he hopes more visitors will discover. Home to a rich diversity of marine life, the protected reserve is prized for its ecological and scientific value.

"There is beauty hidden in every corner of Korea," he said. "So many places are like gems buried beneath the mud. We haven't uncovered and polished them yet. Once we do, they'll shine."

Who is Huh Min?

Appointed administrator of the Korea Heritage Service on July 17, 2025, Huh Min is a geologist and one of South Korea's leading paleontologists.

Born in 1961 in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, Huh earned a doctorate in geology and spent more than three decades as a professor at Chonnam National University, where he also served as vice president and director of the Korea Dinosaur Research Center, the country's first dedicated dinosaur research institute, from 1999 to 2025.

Huh is the first expert in geology and paleontology to lead the Korea Heritage Service, a position traditionally held by scholars of archaeology, art history or history.

In 2003, his team made a landmark discovery in Boseong, South Jeolla Province, unearthing fossils of a previously unknown dinosaur that lived on the Korean Peninsula during the Late Cretaceous period. The species was later named Koreanosaurus boseongensis, the first dinosaur species identified in Korea.

Huh also led pioneering research on some of the world's largest pterosaur footprints. In recognition of his contributions, he was named an honorary fellow of the Geological Society of London twice, in 2017 and 2020.

A longtime UNESCO expert, he also played a key role in securing tentative-list status for the sites of fossilized dinosaurs along the Southern seacoast and UNESCO Global Geopark designation of the Mudeungsan area.