The government will submit applications for “seowon,” or Confucian academies from the Joseon era (1392-1910), and the Korean Peninsula’s Southwestern Coast Tidal Flats to be considered for the UNESCO World Heritage status, the Cultural Heritage Administration revealed Sunday.

The results will be finalized at the 2019 UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting.

Museong Seowon Confucian Academy in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province (Yonhap)

Included in the UNESCO application are Confucian academies in nine locations: Sosu in Yeongju, Oksan in Gyeongju, Museong in Jeongeup, Dosan and Byeongsan in Andong, Pilam in Jangseong, Donam in Nonsan, Dodong in Dalseong and Namgye in Hamyang.
This is the second time the seowon are being submitted for UNESCO World Heritage listing. The Cultural Heritage Administration withdrew its application in April after an expert panel meeting of the International Council on Monuments and Sites, a UNESCO advisory body, judged the sites be “referred.”

ICOMOS cited the weak connection among the nine Korean seowon and their similarity to Chinese and Japanese counterparts for its decision. It also noted that the environs surrounding seowon had not been designated as cultural heritage areas.

The Southwestern Coast Tidal Flats, home to a variety of life forms, consist of those located in Gochang, Suncheon, Muan, Buan, Boseong and Sinan.

All areas are wetlands protected under the Ramsar Convention. Gochang and Sinan’s tidal flats were designated Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO in 2013 and this year, respectively.

Next year’s UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting will evaluate the eligibility of Hanyangdoseong, the Seoul City Wall that dates from 1396.

Meanwhile, the Cultural Heritage Administration plans to extend the number of days that Seoul‘s major palaces are open at night.

By Rumy Doo (doo@heraldcorp.com)