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Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Korea Herald
N. Korea's Mount Kumgang listed as UNESCO World Heritage site
A scenic mountain known for its beauty that changes with the seasons, North Korea's Mount Kumgang has been named a UNESCO World Heritage site. UNESCO added Mount Kumgang to its World Heritage list following the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Paris on Sunday. The official name of the place entering the list is "Mt. Kumgang - Diamond Mountain from the Sea." In May this year, the International Council on Monuments and Sites and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which serve as advisory bodies to the World Heritage Committee, had recommended the inclusion of Mount Kumgang on the UNESCO World Heritage list. UNESCO's website describes Mount Kumgang as "a strikingly beautiful mountain with numerous peaks and curious rocks amounting to some 1,2000, waterfalls and pools formed by crystal-like clear waters flowing from hundreds of gorges, as well as with the seascape stretched along the coastline." "Mt. Kumgang is permeated with numerous legends and cultural relics handed over down through generations," the site also says. North Korea submitted its application for World Heritage inscription in 2021, but the site's review was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The evaluation resumed this year. Mount Kumgang is North Korea's third World Cultural Heritage site, joining the Complex of Koguryo Tombs inscribed in 2004 and the Historic Monuments and Sites in Kaesong in 2013. In 2014, North Korea also had "Arirang, lyrical folk song in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" inscribed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. (Yonhap)
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- New Indian Express
Villupuram's historic legacy shines through UNESCO heritage site announcement
VILLUPURAM: Gingee Fort, one of South India's most formidable and historically rich forts, located 40 kilometres from Villupuram has officially been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on Saturday. Hwajong Lee, an expert from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), visited the site on September 27, 2024 for the assessment. The inclusion comes as part of a broader recognition of 12 forts associated with Maratha emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji's Military Landscapes. While 11 of these forts are located in Maharashtra, Gingee Fort stands as the only one outside the state, highlighting its strategic significance during the Maratha reign. The UNESCO recognition not only validates the fort's architectural and cultural significance but also opens new avenues for tourism and economic development in the district. District Collector Sheik Abdul Rahman told TNIE that this paves way for the district administration to develop commercial outlets at the site for foreign and other state visitors. 'With the panchayat, and Tamil Nadu Tourism departments the administration will uplift the Fort area in Gingee town to increase revenue through tourism' he said. As the heritage site now stands poised to welcome a global audience to explore its remarkable legacy, the maintenance of the sites need improvement. Sources stated that the toilet facilities at Krishnagiri (Queen's Fortress) gate of the Fort are locked and drinking water facilities were not available. However, in the Rajagiri (King's Fortress) gate, toilets were available for free but drinking water had to be bought from the shops. During May this year, TNIE reported on the issue that left visitors suffer during the summer vacations. Similarly, the site offers a tedious trek 800 metres uphill through rock stairs and occasional porches on either side of the hills to rest. The site lacks sign boards directing the way forward, pitstops, steep hills and other significant alerts for the trek. However, a detailed site description inscribed on a metal plate is displayed at the foothills, by ASI. .
Korea Herald
4 days ago
- Korea Herald
S. Korea's prehistoric petroglyphs inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage list
A set of prehistoric rock carvings in southeastern South Korea has been added to UNESCO's World Heritage list, a South Korean cultural agency announced Saturday. The decision was made during the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Paris, where the "Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream" were formally recognized for their outstanding cultural value. Carved into vertical cliff faces along the Bangucheon Stream, a tributary of the Taehwa River in Ulsan, some 360 kilometers southeast of Seoul, the petroglyphs depict hunting scenes and animals believed to date back to the prehistoric era. The inscription had been widely expected after the International Council on Monuments and Sites, an advisory body to UNESCO, recommended the listing in May. A recommendation from ICOMOS is generally seen as preliminary approval for World Heritage status. Based on the ICOMOS review, the committee said the petroglyphs offer outstanding testimony to a tradition of rock art that spanned some 6,000 years. It noted that the realistic depictions and distinctive compositions, based on keen observation, highlight the artistic skills of the people who once lived on the Korean Peninsula. The carvings are "masterpieces created through the creativity of prehistoric people," the committee added. With the latest addition, South Korea now has 17 entries on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The newly inscribed property comprises two major panels: the Bangudae petroglyphs in Daegok-ri and the Cheonjeon-ri petroglyphs, both considered rare and significant examples of early human artistic expression in East Asia. The Daegok-ri panel, often referred to as the "Bangudae petroglyphs," is the largest rock art site on the Korean Peninsula, stretching over 30 meters. The carvings are mainly concentrated on a rock face about 4.5 meters high and eight meters wide, including images of sea and land animals, and hunting scenes. First discovered in 1971 and designated as South Korea's National Treasure No. 285, the panel is known for featuring the world's oldest known depiction of whale hunting. A 2023 report by the Ulsan metropolitan city said 312 individual engravings were identified on the panel using three-dimensional scanning. The Cheonjeon-ri petroglyphs are located about 2 kilometers from the Daegok-ri site. It was discovered in 1970, one year ahead of the Daegok-ri site, containing over 620 figures, symbols and drawings engraved along a rock surface -- about 2.7 meters high and 10 meters wide. It is now the country's National Treasure No. 147. The petroglyphs, however, have faced preservation challenges because they are frequently submerged due to fluctuating water levels at the nearby Sayeon Dam. The dam was constructed in 1965, before the petroglyphs were discovered. Over the past decade, the carvings have been underwater for an average of 42 days per year. Government officials and experts have been discussing preservation measures, including adjusting the dam's water levels and building temporary embankments. Authorities are currently planning to install floodgates at the Sayeon Dam spillway to better control water levels and protect the site. Frequent submergence was a key reason it took 15 years for the petroglyphs to gain the World Heritage status after being placed on UNESCO's tentative list in 2010. In its decision, the World Heritage Committee recommended that the South Korean government inform the World Heritage Centre of the progress of the dam-related construction work. (Yonhap)
The Age
6 days ago
- General
- The Age
Crunch time looms in Paris for Murujuga rock art World Heritage bid
An intense international lobbying fight between the Commonwealth and traditional owners will culminate on Friday as a UNESCO committee decides whether to grant the Burrup Peninsula's Murujuga cultural landscape World Heritage status. The committee's decision in Paris will conclude a long-running bid to secure World Heritage-listing for the ancient Aboriginal petroglyphs on the Pilbara coast near Karratha. The bid was dealt a major blow in May, when the International Council on Monuments and Sites recommended it go back to the Australian government to address concerns about the impact of nearby industrialisation and emissions. The draft decision will be debated at about 3pm Paris time on Friday (9pm AWST). It will include ICOMOS' recommendations calling on the Commonwealth to prevent further industrialisation on the peninsula and to remove all emissions impacting the rock art. This masthead understands Australian government representatives are pushing an amendment to the committee's draft decision removing suggested conditions to stop nearby industrial activity near Murujuga, which remains a major hurdle for it to gain heritage status. Murujuga traditional custodian and Save Our Songlines leader Raelene Cooper opposes that amendment. Cooper is also in Paris this week to lobby for action on industrial emissions near the site. 'We are deeply concerned that the amendment being lobbied for by the Australian government will dramatically weaken these critical recommendations,' she said. 'It is essential that the final UNESCO decision requires a moratorium on any extensions or expansions of industry located on Murujuga. 'It needs to have a decommissioning and rehabilitation plan, and to strengthen the management of Murujuga by traditional custodians by guaranteeing resources so industry funding is not relied upon.'
Sydney Morning Herald
6 days ago
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
Crunch time looms in Paris for Murujuga rock art World Heritage bid
An intense international lobbying fight between the Commonwealth and traditional owners will culminate on Friday as a UNESCO committee decides whether to grant the Burrup Peninsula's Murujuga cultural landscape World Heritage status. The committee's decision in Paris will conclude a long-running bid to secure World Heritage-listing for the ancient Aboriginal petroglyphs on the Pilbara coast near Karratha. The bid was dealt a major blow in May, when the International Council on Monuments and Sites recommended it go back to the Australian government to address concerns about the impact of nearby industrialisation and emissions. The draft decision will be debated at about 3pm Paris time on Friday (9pm AWST). It will include ICOMOS' recommendations calling on the Commonwealth to prevent further industrialisation on the peninsula and to remove all emissions impacting the rock art. This masthead understands Australian government representatives are pushing an amendment to the committee's draft decision removing suggested conditions to stop nearby industrial activity near Murujuga, which remains a major hurdle for it to gain heritage status. Murujuga traditional custodian and Save Our Songlines leader Raelene Cooper opposes that amendment. Cooper is also in Paris this week to lobby for action on industrial emissions near the site. 'We are deeply concerned that the amendment being lobbied for by the Australian government will dramatically weaken these critical recommendations,' she said. 'It is essential that the final UNESCO decision requires a moratorium on any extensions or expansions of industry located on Murujuga. 'It needs to have a decommissioning and rehabilitation plan, and to strengthen the management of Murujuga by traditional custodians by guaranteeing resources so industry funding is not relied upon.'
