“The Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies” was inscribed as UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage.

□ Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies”of the Joseon Dynasty (15th-19th centuries), was inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List. At its 43rd session in Baku, Azerbaijan(June 30 to July 10, 2019), the World Heritage Committee decided on July 6 to place “The Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies” on the World Heritage List. With this decision, the Republic of Korea gains its 14th World Heritage sites.
ㅇ “Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies”is a serial property which comprises the following nine seowon, all of which are also registered as Korean National Historic Sites : Sosu-seowon, Dosan-seowon, Byeongsan-seowon, Oksan-seowon, Dodong-seowon, Namgye-seowon, Piram-seowon, Museong-seowon, and Donam-seowon.
ㅇ In its evaluation of “Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies,”the World Heritage Committee recognized the Outstanding Universal Value(OUV) of the sites in terms of illustrating an historical process in which Neo-Confucianism was adapted to Korean conditions. The Committee recognized the seowon as an exceptional testimony to cultural traditions associated with Neo-Confucianism in Korea, in the form of educational and social practiced, many of which continue. Following the in ion, several State Parties to the World Heritage Convention, including China, congratulated Korea on the new registration.
ㅇ “Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies”was originally placed on the World Heritage tentative lists in 2011, and the Republic of Korea submitted an application for the in ion in January 2015. However, in April 2016, ROK voluntarily withdrew the application when the International Council on Monuments and Sites(ICOMOS), an advisory body which reviews sites for World Heritage in ion, recommended a deferral of the nomination. World Heritage. Subsequently, the Korean government took measures to improve the arguments for in ion of the nine seowon as a serial property by gathering expert opinions and conducting a comparative study of similar national and international heritage sites.
ㅇ In January 2018, Korea newly submitted an application for World Heritage in ion to UNESCO, and after concluding an evaluation process that took a year and a half, ICOMOS finally recommended “Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies”for in ion in May 2019.

□ The nomination of “The Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies” as a UNESCO World Heritage Site is the valuable achievement result of a joint effort by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs(Minister Kang Kyung-wha), Cultural Heritage Administration(Administrator Chung Jae-suk), Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Korea to UNESCO(Ambassador H.E. Lee Byong-hyun), the relevant local governments the nine seowons and the Seowon Conservation and Management Foundation.

□ The World Heritage Committee also recommended that Korea develop an integrated preservation and management plan for of the nine seowon. In line with this recommendation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Cultural Heritage Administration will hold continuous consultations with related entities such as local governments.