South Korea has successfully secured the Phase 2 expanded inscription of "Korean Tidal Flats." The achievement is drawing attention to a trans-Yellow Sea tidal flat linkage connecting the two Koreas and China.
The 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee decided on the Phase 2 expanded inscription (natural heritage) of "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats" at its sixth-day plenary session held at BEXCO in Busan on the 25th. The tidal flats being added are located in Seosan in South Chungcheong Province and Yeosu, Goheung, and Muan in South Jeolla Province. Through this, the expanded World Heritage area totals about 27,975 hectares, while the buffer zone protecting the heritage site reaches 24,795 hectares.
South Korea had previously inscribed the Seocheon tidal flat, Gochang tidal flat, Sinan tidal flat, and Boseong-Suncheon tidal flat together as "Korean Tidal Flats" on the World Heritage list in 2021, and this represents a further expansion. The World Heritage Committee assessed in an official statement that "'Korean Tidal Flats' meets the World Heritage inscription criteria addressing the importance of biodiversity and the conservation of endangered species."
It added that "as a key habitat of the Yellow Sea ecosystem and the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, it contributes to the conservation of internationally important migratory waterbirds and diverse marine life."
Accordingly, through the Phase 2 inscription, the World Heritage "Korean Tidal Flats" has expanded to include the Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung tidal flats, the Sinan-Muan Tando Bay tidal flat, the Muan Hamhae Bay tidal flat, the Gochang tidal flat, the Seocheon tidal flat, and the Seosan tidal flat. South Korea's World Heritage sites remain unchanged at 17 in total, comprising 15 cultural heritage sites and two natural heritage sites.
Heo Min, chief of the Korea Heritage Service, said, "I hope this inscription becomes an opportunity to further expand international cooperation for the conservation of the West Sea ecosystem and the East Asian-Australasian Flyway."
In this regard, Phase 3 tidal flats are also drawing attention. Despite this Phase 2 expansion, tidal flats in Gyeonggi and Incheon are still not included. The advisory body to the World Heritage Committee, in disclosing its review results, recommended that it "will analyze additional tidal flats with 'Outstanding Universal Value' (OUV)," which is a condition for World Heritage inscription, in the future.
Meanwhile, the expanded inscription of "Korean Tidal Flats" is also drawing attention to the value of the trans-Yellow Sea tidal flats. China has already inscribed the "Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf" (2019), and North Korea has placed its own West Sea wetlands on the tentative list. In other words, depending on cooperation, a Northeast Asian peace system could be built around the World Heritage of tidal flats.
The World Heritage Committee held a special seminar hosted by the Korea Heritage Service on the theme "Journey of Migratory Birds Beyond Borders: Conservation of Yellow Sea Tidal Flats through Transboundary Cooperation within the East Asian-Australasian Flyway" and adopted the "Busan Declaration on Cooperation for the Conservation of Yellow Sea Tidal Flats and Coastal Wetlands."
Specifically, it included cooperation measures such as the long-term conservation and effective management of Yellow Sea-related World Heritage sites and coastal wetlands of the two Koreas and China, the promotion of communication and cooperation among relevant countries and international organizations, and joint research, monitoring, and data sharing. However, it did not address political or jurisdictional issues, limiting itself to sharing science, technology, and management experience.
The Korea Heritage Service had also previously stated that it is preparing a "multinational conference" related to the World Heritage trans-Yellow Sea tidal flats. Lazare Eloundou Assomo, director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, told reporters that "the two Koreas and China could jointly manage the (trans-Yellow Sea) tidal flats and protect the migratory bird routes together," adding, "This will also help build regional peace, which is a value of the UNESCO Constitution."
By Choi Soo-moon, Senior Reporter in Busan
