The 48th UNESCO World Heritage Committee, meeting in Busan, voted to expand Korea's Getbol tidal flats with four coastal wetlands in Seosan, Goheung, Muan and Yeosu. The same session inscribed 30 new sites worldwide, including China's Jingdezhen porcelain sites, bringing China's total to 61. A meeting held in Korea became a stage for Asia's cultural heritage.
On July 26 (local time) at its 48th session in Busan, the World Heritage Committee adopted a major boundary expansion for Korea's natural property 'Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats.' First inscribed in 2021 with four zones—Gochang, Boseong-Suncheon, Sinan and Seocheon—the property now adds tidal flats in Seosan, Goheung, Muan and Yeosu.
광고 문의 · 300×250What was decided
The expansion added new component parts to the existing serial property. The committee said it more fully represents the diversity of estuarine, open-coast, archipelagic and semi-enclosed tidal flats, enlarging protection for endangered migratory birds and marine biodiversity.
Korea's government described the decision as the first two-stage expansion for a Korean natural heritage site. The tidal flats are a key stopover for globally endangered species such as the black-faced spoonbill, forming a vital link in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.
A world meeting held in Busan
The 48th session, held from July 19 to 29 in Busan, examined 30 new nominations and three items already on the list. With Korea as host, heritage reviews from across Asia took place in a Korean port city, a symbolic setting.
In the same session, China's 'Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites' were inscribed, bringing China's World Heritage total to 61. The kilns and workshops of the porcelain city were recognized as part of humanity's shared heritage.
Chinese communities and world heritage
A session in which Korea and China each gained new heritage offers a moment of cultural pride for Chinese communities in Korea and Taiwan. The tidal-flat west coast and porcelain Jingdezhen represent each country's natural and cultural identity, placed side by side at the meeting point of Busan.
Inscription carries duties of conservation. Development and management around the tidal flats, and preservation of the porcelain sites, become heavier tasks after listing. UNESCO figures have repeatedly stressed that inscription is not an end but the start of protection.
A third perspective
We see this not as a contest over which country holds more heritage, but as an occasion to affirm, side by side, what humanity should protect together. Korea's tidal flats and China's porcelain are heritage of different textures, yet judged by the same standard in the same hall. We place each country's announcements alongside UNESCO's criteria so readers can weigh the meaning themselves.
