‘Gaya Tumuli’ Inscribed on the

UNESCO World Heritage List

 - ROK’s 16th World Heritage Site determined

at the 45th Session of the World Heritage Committee

The Gaya Tumuli of the Republic of Korea has been successfully inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The 45th session of the World Heritage Committee, which has been held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from September 10 to 25, 2023, made the final decision to inscribe the Gaya Tumuli on the World Heritage List on September 17.

The Gaya Tumuli, newly inscribed on the World Heritage List, is a serial property consisting of seven tumuli sites which represent the ancient civilization of ‘Gaya’ that existed on the Korean Peninsula. The seven tumuli are as follows: ▲ Yugok-ri and Durak-ri Tumuli in Namwon, Jeonbuk, ▲ Jisan-dong Tumuli in Goryeong, Gyeongbok, ▲ Daeseong-dong Tumuli in Gimhae, Gyeongnam, ▲ Marisan Tumuli in Haman, Gyeongnam, ▲ Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli in Changnyeong, Gyeongnam, ▲ Songhak-dong Tumuli in Goseong, Gyeongnam, ▲ Okjeon Tumuli in Hapcheon, Gyeongnam.

The 45th World Heritage Committee acknowledged the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the Gaya Tumuli which represents important evidence of the diversity found in an ancient East Asian civilization that co-existed with its neighbors while maintaining a distinct confederated political system. The decision to inscribe the Gaya Tumuli on the list was met with support and congratulations from numerous committee members. Thus, with the inscription of the Gaya Tumuli on the World Heritage List, Korea has a total of 16 World Heritage Sites. (Of these 14 are cultural and 2 are natural)

Following its inscription on the Tentative List of World Heritage Sites in 2013, the application was submitted to UNESCO in January 2021. In May this year, it was 'recommended for inscription' after undergoing a review process, which involved on-site missions by ICOMOS(The International Council on Monuments and Sites) as Advisory Body to the World Heritage Committee. A decade of hard work and effort has finally come to its fruition.

The inscription of the Gaya Tumuli as a World Heritage Site was achieved through collaborative efforts involving the Cultural Heritage Administration (Administrator Choi, Eung Chon), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Park, Jin), Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Korea to UNESCO (Ambassador Bak, Sang Mee), local governments and World Heritage Nomination Office for Gaya Tumuli.

In addition to the inscription, the World Heritage Committee suggested the following recommendations for the site: a) Continue the process of acquisition of the privately-owned land plots within the component parts (seven component cemeteries), b) Mitigate the impact of intrusive elements in the buffer zones and on the property, especially the road that is dividing the Gyodong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli component part, c) Conduct public relations campaigns for the entire seven component sites d) Establish an integrated monitoring system e) Further involving local communities in the decision-making processes.

The Cultural Heritage Administration is committed to actively collaborating with local governments in a proactive administrative manner to preserve the value of the Gaya Tumuli as a World Heritage Site and contribute to the development of the local community.