A presidential panel said on Wednesday that it is promoting Buddhist temples in Korea as UNESCO world heritage sites.

The Presidential Council on National Branding said it has selected seven Buddhist temples around the country to register them as provisional UNESCO world heritage sites by the end of this year. If selected, the panel plans to apply for formal registration in 2015, an official at the panel said.

After a two-year consultation with the Cultural Heritage Administration, the panel chose the seven temples in consideration of their historical and architectural value.

The list of temples includes Tongdo-sa in South Gyeongsang Province, Seonam-sa in South Jeolla Province, Buseok-sa in North Gyeongsang Province and Magok-sa in South Chungcheong Province.

The Korean government has been pushing for the registration of “seowon,” or private Confucian academies, as UNECO world heritage sites since last year.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)