UNESCO approves major expansion of Korea's tidal flats World Heritage site

Huh Min, second from right, administrator of the Korea Heritage Service, waves Korea's national flag with Park Soo-hyun, third from right, governor of South Chungcheong Province, following the expanded inscription of "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats (Phase 2)" as a UNESCO World Heritage site during UNESCO's plenary session at BEXCO in Busan, Saturday. Courtesy of Korea Heritage Service

BUSAN — A UNESCO committee approved a major expansion to Korea’s "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats" World Heritage site on Saturday, adding four key coastal regions to bolster protection for endangered migratory birds and marine life.

The decision by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, meeting for its 48th session in Busan, adopts a significant boundary modification for the natural heritage property first inscribed in 2021, which originally covered four zones: Gochang, Boseong-Suncheon and Sinan in Jeolla provinces and Seocheon in South Chungcheong Province.

The Phase 2 expansion incorporates crucial tidal flats in Yeosu, Goheung and Muan in South Jeolla Province, as well as Seosan in South Chungcheong Province.

The World Heritage Committee recognized that the tidal flats satisfy the World Heritage criterion for the conservation of biodiversity and endangered species. In particular, it highly valued the natural heritage site for contributing to the conservation of internationally important migratory waterbirds and diverse marine life as a key habitat within the West Sea ecosystem and the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.

A tidal flat in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, is seen in this file photo. Courtesy of World Heritage Promotion Team of Korean Tidal Flats

Tim Badman, director of the World Heritage Programme at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), emphasized that the expansion significantly elevates the site’s ecological value along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.

"The newly added areas will substantially increase the number of bird species and the wider marine biodiversity," Badman said during UNESCO's plenanary session at BEXCO, Saturday. He highlighted that the expanded site will now protect 216 bird species — including globally threatened waterbirds such as the black-faced spoonbill, Far Eastern curlew and hooded crane.

Huh Min, administrator of the Korea Heritage Service (KHS), welcomed the decision. "Getbol provide an essential habitat for the endangerous migratory birds and sustain exceptional biodiversity. This inscription affirms both the Republic of Korea's unwavering commitment to the conservation and the responsibility entrusted to us," he said.

"We shall remain ever mindful that the Getbol is not Korea alone, but a shared heritage of all humankind."

Huh Min, administrator of the Korea Heritage Service, speaks after the UNESCO committee approved a major expansion to Korea’s "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats" World Heritage site at BEXCO in Busan, Saturday. Courtesy of Korea Heritage Service

With these additions, the World Heritage site will span six reconfigured component zones across the country's southwestern coast: Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung, Sinan-Muan Tandoman, Muan Hamhaeman, Gochang, Seocheon and Seosan.

A side event titled "Flying Beyond Borders" was held to celebrate the inscription of the Korean tidal flats. During the seminar, Huh declared a joint statement alongside the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.

"We express our shared commitment to work together to strengthen the long-term conservation and effective management of the relevant World Heritage properties," he said, "and to advance understanding and promotion of the ecological connectivity of the Yellow Sea habitats, including through shared science, monitoring and data."