Korea on Tuesday was elected a member state of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for the third time, the Cultural Heritage Administration said.

At the 19th session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in Paris, Korea was selected as a member of the committee responsible for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention, defining the use of the World Heritage Fund and allocating financial assistance upon requests from member states. The 21-member committee also has a final say on whether a property should be inscribed on the World Heritage List.

Previously, Korea was elected to the committee in 2005 and 1997.

Korea is currently involved in 29 UNESCO projects worth $17 million.

“Korea has been passionate about supporting cultural heritage restoration of other countries, which has made a good impression on fellow member states,” a CHA official said.

The government has also pledged to donate an additional $60,000 to the World Heritage Fund.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)