Park Han-sol reports on Korea's financial regulators, along with fintech and insurance. She previously wrote about the art world, from biennales and exhibitions to fairs and auctions, with a focus on Seoul and the figures shaping the scene. Before joining The Korea Times, she spent a year at ABC News' Seoul bureau, contributing to coverage of major Asia-Pacific events.
Korea Heritage Service to invite NK to 2026 UNESCO Heritage talks in Busan
Huh Min, the newly appointed chief of the Korea Heritage Service, speaks during a press conference at Seoul's Deoksu Palace, Monday. Newsis
By Park Han-sol
Looking for K-heritage merch? New flagship store to open in Gyeongbok Palace by 2027
As South Korea prepares to host next year's session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in the southeastern port city of Busan, the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) is pursuing to extend an invitation to North Korea to join the gathering.
The 48th session, slated for July 2026, will convene some 3,000 delegates from around the world to deliberate on the inscription and preservation of humanity’s shared heritage, wherein global attention will focus on which submitted entries will be added to UNESCO’s prestigious heritage lists.
“We hope to bring the North to next year’s event. But this isn’t something we can achieve alone, so we have written to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, asking her to help mediate ways for the two Koreas to come together,” Huh Min, the KHS’ newly appointed chief, said at a press conference Monday at central Seoul’s Deoksu Palace.
The administrator added that he had also raised with the U.N. cultural agency the idea of advancing inter-Korean cultural exchanges through the joint preservation of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
“The DMZ stands as the most ecologically preserved landscape in the world’s only divided nation — a rare place where history, culture and nature are layered together. We have proposed that the two Koreas explore the possibility of jointly seeking UNESCO inscription for the site.”
Given the still-frigid relations between the two Koreas, the KHS is treading cautiously with other potential cooperative initiatives, seeking first to nurture cooperation at the civic level.
These include the restoration of Yujeom Temple at Mount Geumgang, which earned UNESCO World Heritage status this year, and the excavation of the 918-1392 Goryeo-era Manwoldae Palace site in Gaeseong — both of which were agreed upon in 2018 but left incomplete as political tensions deepened.
“At present, civic groups such as the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism are taking the lead. If these efforts gain traction, I believe it will then fall to us to advance them in collaboration with the unification and foreign ministries,” Huh said.
Crowds of tourists take in the sights at central Seoul's historic Gyeongbok Palace, Aug. 31. Yonhap
Beyond inter-Korean initiatives, the KHS is also turning its gaze inward to its home turf. By 2027, a spacious flagship store dedicated to merchandise inspired by Korean heritage will open its doors at Seoul’s Gyeongbok Palace.
The timing is hardly coincidental.
The breakout success of “KPop Demon Hunters” has rippled far beyond screens and soundtracks, casting a global spotlight on the traditional Korean art and folklore woven into the animation. These age-old motifs — already reimagined as playful, pocket-sized items here long before the Netflix hit — became the summer’s surprise craze, turning into runaway bestsellers.
The surge in demand is evident in the numbers: sales of such merchandise tripled from 4 billion won ($2.9 million) in 2020 to 12 billion won last year. However, according to the state agency, existing souvenir shops in palaces, airports and museums remain cramped and offer few specialized offerings.
Backed by a 16.8 billion won budget, the new flagship store will occupy roughly 3,300 square meters of Gyeongbok Palace’s parking lot, creating a permanently curated space to celebrate Korea’s heritage.