Korea's Bangucheon Petroglyphs Recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Bangucheon Petroglyphs have officially been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On July 12 local time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee, currently convening in Paris, France, decided to include the Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream on the World Heritage List.

Thanks to this addition, Korea now possesses a total of 17 World Heritage properties—15 cultural sites and two natural sites. This inscription comes approximately 15 years after "Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream" was added to the country's tentative World Heritage List in 2010.

The newly inscribed site encompasses both the National Treasure "Ulsan Daegok Ri Bangu Dae Petroglyphs" and the "Ulsan Cheonjeon Ri Inscriptions and Petroglyphs" as a single heritage property. According to the World Heritage Committee, "The realistic depiction and unique composition of the carvings demonstrate the artistic sensibility of prehistoric people on the Korean Peninsula, while themes such as whales and whaling are rare and showcase their creativity in expressing distinctive aspects of prehistoric life."

Furthermore, the committee highlighted the petroglyphs' exceptional value in evidencing the unbroken tradition of rock carving over 6,000 years, making Bangucheon an exemplary case for understanding the composite culture that developed in Korea’s southeastern coastal region.

Alongside inscription, the World Heritage Committee issued several recommendations, including reporting the progress of the Sayeon Dam construction to the World Heritage Centre, ensuring efficient management of the Bangucheon World Petroglyph Center, formally involving local communities and residents in the site's management framework, and notifying the Centre of any major development plans that could affect the Outstanding Universal Value of the heritage.

The successful inscription of the Bangucheon Petroglyphs is being hailed as the result of coordinated efforts among the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Cultural Heritage Administration, the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Korea to UNESCO, and local governments.

The Cultural Heritage Administration announced that it plans to continue working with local authorities and residents to both fully preserve the World Heritage value of the Bangucheon Petroglyphs and pursue diverse policy initiatives for regional coexistence and development.

Note “This article was translated from the original Korean version using AI assistance, and subsequently edited by a native-speaking journalist.”

Photo=Republic of Korea Policy Briefing, Yonhap News Agency