The "Korea Pavilion" that the Korean government unveiled at BEXCO to mark the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Busan is drawing crowds. Expanding the event to the general public, beyond the expert meetings that had been the focus of previous World Heritage Committee sessions, has proven effective.
According to the Korea Heritage Service on the 25th, a total of 52,758 people visited the "Korea Pavilion" set up in Exhibition Hall 1 of BEXCO in Busan over the five days from the 20th to the 24th of this month. That amounts to an average of more than 10,000 visitors per day. The "Korea Pavilion" is a space created to introduce Korean culture during the committee period, with 35 organizations including the Korea Heritage Service, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and the city of Busan participating to present exhibitions and hands-on activities. It is a distinctive stage even by the standards of past World Heritage Committee sessions.
At the venue, parents who brought their children were a common sight. During the four days (the 20th to the 23rd) for which detailed visitor figures were compiled, the "Heritage: Timeless Time" exhibition presented by the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation drew particular attention. This exhibition, which featured a large screen reaching 9 meters in height and kinetic art, was visited by a total of 11,160 people.
In addition, a promotional pavilion publicizing the national heritage visit campaign drew 11,513 people over the four days, while an event where holders of national intangible heritage demonstrated traditional techniques was attended by 11,081 people.
The "K-Heritage" brand, which sells cultural products based on cultural heritage, recorded cumulative sales of 82 million won during the same period, according to the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, which operates it. In particular, 382 commemorative coins (worth about 30 million won) unveiled by the Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation were sold.
"We expect the number of visitors to the 'Korea Pavilion' to increase over the weekend," a Korea Heritage Service official said. "We will pay even greater attention to maintaining order and managing safety."
Meanwhile, as of 6 p.m. on the 23rd, 3,111 people from 162 countries had registered to attend the plenary session of the Busan World Heritage Committee. This marks the largest number of countries and participants of any World Heritage Committee session to date. There are currently a total of 196 member states.
