Muan Hamhaeman Getbol KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE BUSAN — Additional getbol (tidal flats) were inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage site on Saturday in recognition of their rich biodiversity and important role as feeding grounds for migratory birds. The latest inscription is an extension of getbol’s existing World Heritage listing made in 2021. The inscription was approved — without any proposed amendments from other state parties — at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee at the plenary session held Saturday morning in Busan. “South Korea’s marine ecosystem has now become a great heritage that the world must protect together,” said Korea Heritage Service Administrator Huh Min, following the decision. “This inscription marks the beginning of our responsibility to pass this precious asset intact to future generations.” Huh attended the plenary session in hanbok (traditional Korean clothing). Korea Heritage Service Administrator Huh Min, second from right, waves a Korean flag after additional Korean tidal flats are inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage list at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan on July 25. 바다이야기게임다운 KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE Saturday’s extension reconfigures the “Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats” listing as a serial property comprising six components: the Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung Getbol, the Shinan-Muan Getbol, the Muan Hamhaeman Getbol, the Gochang Getbol, the Seocheon Getbol and the Seosan Getbol. "[The second phase] adds substantial species diversity and habitat values, enhancing the overall integrity of the serial property," said Tim Badman, director at World Heritage at IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), at the plenary session, adding it would expand the property by 22 percent. IUCN is an independent advisory body to Unesco's inscription of natural heritage. South Korea previously inscribed the Seocheon, Gochang, Shinan-Muan and Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung tidal flats on the Unesco World Heritage list, as they fulfilled the convention’s selection criteria and contained “important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of Outstanding Universal Value [the core standard for Unesco World Heritage inscription].” 모바일 바다이야기pc버전다운 Shinan-Muan Getbol KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE At the time, the committee recommended identifying “additional component parts to be added and for boundaries of existing component parts to be improved as part of a second phase nomination to cover more fully the scope of critical areas used by waterbirds.” The recent extension had been widely expected after the IUCN recommended last month that it be approved — a result of close cooperation among stakeholders, including the central and regional governments, and local communities. The extension is seen as not only an expansion of South Korea’s World Heritage sites but also a step towards the World Heritage Committee’s long-term vision of a transnational World Heritage inscription encompassing the Yellow Sea’s tidal flats, one of the most important habitats along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway for migratory birds. 매장판 When South Korea’s getbol were first inscribed in 2021, the committee encouraged the country “to further strengthen collaboration with other concerned States Parties to improve the conservation of critical habitats within the East Asian-Australasian Flyway in relation to potential future transnational serial nominations and/or extensions.” Such a transnational property would involve tidal flats in China and North Korea. China expanded its World Heritage site listing, “Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China,” in 2024. Earlier this year, North Korea added its coastal wetlands near the Yellow Sea to its Unesco Tentative List. A side event — titled “Flying Beyond Borders: Conserving the Yellow Sea Tidal Flats through Transboundary Cooperation on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway” — during the 48th session highlighted the need for cross-border cooperation and brought together representatives from China’s Eco Foundation Global, the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership and other conservation organizations. 게임장 24 Qijiang Wu, the director of the Yancheng Heritage Center, delivered a video message during the event, and John MacKinnon, a nature conservation expert, discussed the conservation status of North Korea’s tidal flats. Korea Heritage Service Administrator Huh Min hugs another state party at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee on July 25 after additional Korean tidal flats were inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage list. NEWS1 “You may wonder: Can North Korea protect those areas?” MacKinnon said during his presentation. “Yes, actually. They have a lot of legal instruments in North Korea, and many of these sites are protected more than you would expect.” He added, however, that international support remains necessary and that it is crucial to establish a framework for cooperation “that [North Korea] can accept without [resisting].” The 48th session also resulted in the adoption of the “Busan Statement on Cooperation for the Conservation of the Tidal Flats and Coastal Wetlands of the Yellow Sea” which calls for joint efforts to conserve the Yellow Sea’s tidal flats and coastal wetlands and the migratory waterbirds that they sustain. 신천지릴게임소스 The statement also promotes scientific and managerial cooperation among the relevant state parties and institutions in the future. According to the Korea Heritage Service, the expanded serial property supports 2,446 species, including 216 bird species. Among them are 114 waterbirds, including 24 globally threatened species. “At our next committee session, I hope that we can come up with more evidence that supports the conservation and management of getbol and their organisms,” said Choi Chang-yong, an associate professor at Seoul National University at the side event. “Yellow Sea tidal flats cannot be protected by a single country alone. At the same time, scientific and administrative frameworks are very important.” South Korea has 17 Unesco World Heritage sites, two of which are natural World Heritage sites: Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes and Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats. Cultural heritage sites include Seokguram Grotto, Bulguk Temple and Jongmyo Shrine. The 48th session of the World Heritage Committee, which kicked off in Busan on Sunday, will run until Wednesday. Update, July 25, 2026: Added information about the extension and the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee. BY JIN EUN-SOO []