Two South Korean villages were added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in recognition of their Confucian cultural characteristics, a selection committee said on its Web site Sunday.
Hahoe and Yandong, located in the southern part of South Korea, are two villages where nobility clans of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) lived, and are renowned for representing the early years of those times the best.
The World Heritage Committee, in inscribing them to the list, described the villages as reflecting "the distinctive aristocratic Confucian culture" of the times.
"The landscapes of mountains, trees and water around the village, framed in views from pavilions and retreats, were celebrated for their beauty by 17th and 18th century poets," it said.
The latest additions to the World Heritage List are the 10th for South Korea.