World Cultural Heritage listing highlights value of royal tombs

The World Cultural Heritage designation to the Joseon royal tombs marks a turning point in the country`s efforts to promote its cultural assets worldwide, a government official said Saturday.

"The UNESCO`s decision to add 40 royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty to the prestigious World Cultural Heritage list highlights their historical and cultural value," said Lee Kun-moo, head of the state-run Cultural Heritage Administration, following the meeting of the selection committee. "But the cultural heritage status means we should double our efforts to preserve the tombs for the international community."

The World Heritage Committee, met in Seville, Spain, on Friday and added the sacred mountain in Kyrgyzstan, Iran`s Shushtar water system and the royal tombs of Korea to the list.

The royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, scattered over 18 locations, were built over five centuries and their unique features represent one of the most precious cultural and historical assets Korea has preserved.



The royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty form a collection of 40 tombs which showcase the country`s tradition of respect for ancestors. In addition, the tombs are located in areas of outstanding natural beauty because top policymakers of the Joseon period paid great attention to the geomancy factors when they picked candidate sites for their kings and queens.

Alongside the burial area, the royal tombs usually feature a ceremonial area and an entrance. In addition to the burial mounds, associated buildings that are an integral part of the tombs include a T-shaped wooden shrine, a royal kitchen and a guards` house, a red-spiked gate and the tomb keeper`s house - all the historical components being actively researched by historians in Korea.

Besides the architectural elements, historians and visitors alike are drawn to a wide range of stone objects, including figures of people and animals, placed in and around the tombs.

The listing of the Joseon tombs marks the country`s 9th World Heritage site. The listing of the UNESCO World Heritage site began in 1995 when Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple, Haeinsa Temple`s Janggyeong Panjeon and Jongmyo Shrine were given the designation.

In 1997, two more sites - Changdeokgung Palace Complex and Hwaseong Fortress - made it to the World Heritage site list. In 2000, Gyeongju Historic Areas and Dolmen sites in Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa were included on the list, expanding the country`s cultural heritage lineup of worldwide recognition. Most recently, in 2007, the UNESCO committee inscribed Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes.

Several weeks before the decision was out about the Joseon tombs, observers in Seoul expected the listing process to proceed smoothly in favor of Korea`s historical tombs because the sites were given a positive recommendation by the International Council on Monuments and Sites. At the time, Korean government officials raised the possibility of the listing, citing the fact that no historic site recommended by ICOMOS has been rejected by the UNESCO World Heritage committee.

Lee Kun-moo of the Cultural Heritage Administration said the UNESCO designation is now expected to boost tourism for the Joseon tombs and related cultural assets scattered in Seoul and neighboring provinces.

"When Jeju Island was designated in 2007, we witnessed a drastic growth of inbound tourists and a similar effect is now expected for the Joseon tombs," Lee said.

Korea is also keen to apply other cultural sites such as Yangdong Village in Gyeongju and Hahoe Village in Andong to the World Cultural Heritage list in the near future.

(insight@heraldm.com)



By Yang Sung-jin