1. The Foreign Ministry, with the support of the Cultural Heritage Administration and the Korean National Commission for UNESCO, hosted an International Conference on World Heritage Interpretation in Seoul on November 2.

° In his opening remarks, Ambassador for Public Diplomacy Cho Hyun-dong of the Foreign Ministry took note of the significance of the meeting and voiced hope for contribution of world heritage experts to the interpretation of world heritage; and stressed that the Japanese government should sincerely honor the pledges it had made to the international community at the World Heritage Committee (WHC) meeting in 2015, during which the WHC had decided to inscribe Japan’s Meiji Industrial sites on the World Heritage list.

° At the conference, eleven world heritage experts from home and abroad delivered thematic presentations and engaged in discussions in the presence of some 100 people interested in world heritage.

2. The Ambassadors to UNESCO from 14 out of the 21 member states of the WHC attended the meeting, during which they commended the Republic of Korea for its leading role in the efforts to interpret world heritage and agreed to remain cooperative with the country on world heritage and other matters concerning UNESCO.

° In a bid to help the Ambassadors better understand Korean cultural assets, the Foreign Ministry held a briefing session and rendered assistance for their visits to Baekje Historic Areas and the Seoul Hanyang City Wall.

3. On October 25, the ROK was elected to serve as a vice chair of the WHC during its 41st session, which reflects the country’s standing as a leader in the field of world heritage. On July 13, during the 40th session of the WHC in Istanbul, the ROK government hosted a seminar on the interpretation of world heritage with some 200 people attending it. Building on the outcome of such efforts, the ROK successfully hosted the International Conference on World Heritage Interpretation, which is seen to have helped enhance the ROK’s standing as a leader in the area of world heritage.

° The proceedings of the meeting will be shared with UNESCO and used in discussions and research in the field.


* unofficial translation