1. The Republic of Korea was elected as a member of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) for the 2013-2017 term in its first-round vote held during the 19th session of the General Assembly of States Parties to Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, on November 19-21. 2. The ROK’s election to the WHC, which marks the third of its kind, is seen to reflect international recognition of the country’s active contribution to the protection of world heritage through its support for efforts for preserving and maintaining world heritage as well as for strengthening developing countries’ relevant capability. * The ROK is conducting 29 trust fund projects (worth some 17 million US dollars), including those in the area of preservation of world heritage. At the aforementioned UNESCO meeting, the Cultural Heritage Administration expressed its will to contribute some 60,000 dollars to the World Heritage Fund, in addition to the trust fund. 3. The 21-member WHC is the intergovernmental committee that makes the final decision on the inscription of heritages on the World Heritage List (WHL). As a WHC member, the ROK can take an active part in the WHC’s decision-making process regarding inscriptions by expressing its views on such matters. 4. The ROK has sought to join the WHC as one of its key policy tasks for the year 2013 as well as a cooperation project between the Foreign Ministry and the Cultural Heritage Administration. Led by the two government agencies, overseas diplomatic missions including the Permanent Delegation to UNESCO made active efforts to this end with the support of relevant expert networks at home, such as the Korean National Commission for UNESCO. The ROK’s accession to the WHC is seen as a case where government agencies have worked closely together to contribute to enhancing the country’s international standing. ° The ROK government, having set “cultural enrichment” as one of its policy priorities, has made efforts to enhance the country’s image as a cultural country and to usher in an era of happiness for the global community. The country has been playing active role at UNESCO, the largest international organization governing cultural, educational and scientific matters, as demonstrated by its service on the UNESCO Executive Board for six consecutive terms since 1987 and accession to the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation (ICPRCP) on November 14. The ROK’s membership in the WHC, along with the aforementioned roles at UNESCO, is expected to contribute to enhancing the country’s international status in the fields of education, culture and return of cultural property. * Among the 195 member states of UNESCO, the ROK is the 13th-largest donor to UNESCO. In addition, the country is serving on the UNESCO Executive Board for the 2011-2015 term and five other intergovernmental committees of the UNESCO General Assembly. Ministry of Foreign Affairs Cultural Heritage Administration