1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the Korean National Commission for UNESCO, held “the 2020 International Conference on UNESCO World Heritage Interpretation” in a virtual format on November 24.

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° In his opening remarks, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Lee Taeho highlighted the importance of comprehensive and inclusive heritage interpretation in helping future generations understand the full history and diverse stories surrounding heritage.

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° The Vice Minister, referring to “the Rammelsberg Mine Museum” in the Federal Republic of Germany inscribed as World Heritage in 1992 as an example of good practice in world heritage interpretation, mentioned that the Museum, by maintaining comprehensive documentation of the suffering of those who were forced to work in the mines, remembers the victims and presents the full history of heritage in a balanced manner. He went on to stress that both positive and negative aspects of human history should be embraced.

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2. At the Conference held under the main theme of “Rights-based Approaches in Heritage Interpretation,” discussions were held on “Cultural Relativity and Inclusivity in Heritage Interpretation,” “Balanced Interpretation of Sites of Memory” and “heritage interpretation and human rights.” It was attended online by world heritage experts from the ROK and abroad, diplomats to UNESCO, members of the diplomatic corps in the ROK, international organizations and NGOs, students and general public.

° The participants emphasized the value of diverse voices that can be reflected in one particular heritage; mentioned the need for efforts to inclusively embrace the story of the group that shares memories on heritage; and noted that such efforts could be seen as significant efforts to protect and promote human rights through world heritage.

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3. The ROK has led discussions on world heritage interpretation, one of the important factors in the preservation of world heritage, by holding the International Conference on UNESCO World Heritage Interpretation on an annual basis since it held the first Conference in 2016, and will continue to enhance contribution with regard to world heritage interpretation.