Ambassador for Public Diplomacy Cho Hyun-dong delivers the opening speech at the International Conference on World heritage Interpretation, in Seoul on Nov. 2. Ambassador Cho emphasized the importance of properly interpreting world heritage.
Experts on cultural heritage from around the globe gathered in Seoul to discuss the significance of and interpretations of world heritage.
Representatives from world heritage committees or UNESCO ambassadors from 14 countries attended the International Conference on World Heritage Interpretation, in Seoul on Nov. 2.
During the conference, participants exchanged opinions about the current status of and future tasks facing world heritage. They also discussed various views, including political perspectives, and how to maintain balance in regard to interpretations of world heritage.
Ambassador for Public Diplomacy Cho Hyun-dong said during his opening remarks that, “Efforts to inherit precious world heritage, which contains both humanity and nature, should not be limited to adding the item to the world heritage list. We should also strive to set up plans to preserve and manage the enlisted world heritage items, and then implement those plans.”
“Setting up effective strategies of interpretation is also an important mission, as these are designed to help world citizens better understand and explain the history of world heritage,” said Cho, highlighting the importance of interpreting world heritage items.
The ambassador also urged the Japanese government to swiftly and faithfully implement the promises that it made to the international community during the World Heritage Committee meeting that took place last year regarding the enlistment of one of its modern abandoned industrial facilities.
At the 39th World Heritage Committee meeting, which took place in July 2015, Japan announced that it would mention the forced labor of Koreans and other non-Japanese workers at the abandoned industrial facilities, and that it would build an information center that would note the victims who lost their lives there.
Director of the Division for Heritage and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre Mechtild Rössler delivers a presentation on the challenges facing world heritage interpretation and other related topics, at the International Conference on World heritage Interpretation, in Seoul on Nov. 2.
The conference was attended by 11 world heritage experts, including Director of the Division for Heritage and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre Mechtild Rössler, German Commissioner for UNESCO Birgitta Ringbeck, and Stephen Morris, chief of international affairs at the National Park Service of the U.S.
The participants delivered presentations and held group discussions on three themes: the main principles and process of interpreting world heritage, cases of world heritage interpretation, and how to set up strategies and develop programs to interpret world heritage.
The results of the conference will be shared with UNESCO, and be used for further discussion and research in related areas.
Korea has been an active player in the sector of world heritage, as the country was elected vice chair for the 41st World Heritage Committee meeting on Oct. 25. Also, in July this year it attended a seminar on world heritage interpretation in Istanbul, Turkey.
Administrator of the Cultural Heritage Administration Rha Sun-hwa delivers her welcoming remarks at the International Conference on World Heritage Interpretation, in Seoul on Nov. 2.
By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photos: Korean National Commission for UNESCO
arete@korea.kr
