The Koreas conducted seven rounds of joint excavation of the historical site spanning 250,000 square meters of land from 2007 to 2015 and discovered traces of 40 buildings and 16,500 relics. The project, however, has since been suspended amid escalating tension on the Korean Peninsula over the North's missile and nuclear tests.

During the world-level talks, South Korean officials proposed the resumption of other inter-Korean cultural cooperation projects, such as jointly adding the traditional Korean wrestling of "ssireum" on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list and the joint excavation of Koguryo tombs in Pyongyang. Koguryo is an ancient kingdom that ruled the northern part of the peninsula.

Also among the joint programs proposed were holding a survey of relics of the March 1st Movement (1919), one of the earliest public displays of the Korean resistance during the Japanese colonial rule of Korea, the 100th anniversary of the historical event and the publication of a common Korean-language dictionary.

North Korea unsuccessfully attempted to add ssireum on the UNESCO list in 2016, while the South's application for inscription is up for discussion during a meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in November. (Yonhap)