Baekje Historic Areas

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country. South Korea

year of inscription. 2015

criteria. Cultural

Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites

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country. South Korea

year of inscription. 2000

criteria. Cultural

Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies

country. South Korea

year of inscription. 2019

criteria. Cultural

The Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies UNESCO WHS is composed of serial sites located in the provinces of North Gyeongsang, North Jeolla, South Chungcheong, South Gyeongsang, and South Jeolla as well as Daegu Metropolitan City. This property is composed of Neo-Confucian academies from the Joseon Dynasty (1392CE – 1910CE). The seowon was an academy for learning which focused on the imparting of Confucian teachings. Their design took into account the appreciation of nature to cultivate the mind and body. As such, they were often situated near mountains and water sources and the buildings were constructed to facilitate connections to the landscape upon which they stand.

Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty

country. South Korea

year of inscription. 2009

criteria. Cultural

The Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty UNESCO WHS is located in eighteen locations in Seoul Special City as well as the Gangwon and Gyeonggi provinces of South Korea. It is composed of forty tombs of members of the royal family of the House of Yi, which ruled Korea between 1392 and 1910. These tombs were built over a timespan of more than five centuries, from 1408 to 1966. They represent the ultimate forms of royal tomb architecture on the Korean Peninsula, an architectural history which goes back some 5,000 years. Their layouts are shaped by the principles of pungsu (classical Korean geomancy) and create a setting for the tradition of ancestral worship and its rites.

Jongmyo Shrine

country. South Korea

year of inscription. 1995

criteria. Cultural

The Jongmyo Shrine UNESCO WHS can be found in Seoul Special City, South Korea. It was a royal shrine for the monarchs of the Joseon Dynasty. Dedicated to the royal forebears of the Korean Joseon Dynasty (1392CE – 1910CE), the shrine has existed in its current form since the 16th century CE. Housing the spirit tablets of departed Joseon kings and queens, it is also the place where the reigning king will go to perform the rituals of ancestral worship, in accordance to Confucian beliefs. The site has been in use since the 14th century; however, a Japanese invasion in the 16th century destroyed the original building, It was rebuilt in the 17th century, and the layout of buildings since then has been preserved.

Hwaseong Fortress

country. South Korea

year of inscription. 1997

criteria. Cultural

The Hwaseong Fortress UNESCO WHS is located in Gyeonggi province, South Korea. It is a fortification built in the 18th century CE during the Korean Joseon Dynasty. King Jeongjo (1752CE – 1800CE, r. 1776CE – 1800CE) of the Joseon Dynasty (1392CE – 1910CE) reinterred remains of his father, Crown Prince Jangheon (1735CE – 1762CE) in the city of Suwon at the end of the 18th century. He then further embarked on a project to build strong defensive fortifications to surround the tomb. The structures incorporated the latest technological know-how then from both the East and the West. The fortress walls run for 5.7km, enclosing a land area of 130ha. Other defense features include flood- and land gates, observation towers, command posts, attack towers, bastions, ravelins, and bunkers. The architecture of the fortress differed from contemporary ones in China and Japan and was pivotal to the development of Korean architecture, urban planning, and landscape design.

Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple

country. South Korea
year of inscription. 1995

criteria. Cultural

Seokguram Grotto was established in the 8th century CE under the auspices of the Silla Kingdom. It is a man-made cave that consists of a monumental statue of the Buddha facing towards the sea. Surrounding the statue are other Buddhist wall sculptures portraying Bodhisattvas, deities, and disciples. The nearby Bulguksa Temple was built a little later in 774CE. The temple complex comprises a set of wooden religious buildings erected on raised stone terraces. Together, they are representative of Korean religious art-form from that era.

Historic Villages of Korea: Hahoe and Yangdong

country. South Korea

year of inscription. 2010

criteria. Cultural

The Historic Korean Villages: Hahoe and Yangdong UNESCO WHS is located in the province of North Gyeongsang, South Korea. The two component sites are representative of traditional Korean clan villages. The two villages were established in the 14th – 15th centuries and are reflective of the prevailing aristocratic Confucian culture of the earlier centuries of the Joseon Dynasty (1392CE – 1910CE). The physical surrounding of the villages includes forests, mountains, and a riverfront alongside open agricultural fields. Wooden buildings erected served as residences for the clansmen of the aristocracy, pavilions, study halls, and Neo-Confucian academies, while mud-walled, thatch-roofed houses were used by the commoners.

Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu

country. Peru

year of inscription. 1983

criteria. Cultural

This WHS, located in the Cuzco region, stands at some 2400m above sea level. It is regarded as the most significant legacy of the Inca civilization, showcasing the culture’s artistic and architectural accomplishments, set amidst a tropical rainforest and with its structures seemingly cut out of the rock escarpments. Known in Spanish as La Ciudadela (The Fortress), the settlement with both urban and rural functions, was built by the Incas in the 15th century CE, abandoned in the 16th century with the Spanish conquest of the Incas, and ‘re-discovered’ in 1911.

Namhansanseong

country. South Korea

year of inscription. 2014

criteria. Cultural

The Namhansanseong WHS is located in Gyeonggi province. It served as an emergency capital of the Joseon Dynasty (1392CE – 1910CE). The area was settled from as early as the 7th century CE, and was rebuilt several times. Its importance increased in the 17th century CE, pending a potential attack from the Qing Dynasty in China. In its current form, it takes in Chinese and Japanese influences and incorporates military defence ideas of that era, and has become a symbol of Korean sovereignty.

Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, the Depositories for the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks

country. South Korea

year of inscription. 1995

criteria. Cultural

The Temple of Haeinsa is on Mount Gaya in South Gyeosang province. On its grounds are the architecturally-significant buildings of Janggyeong Panjeon, which houses some 80,000 woodblocks of Buddhist texts, laws, and treaties – the Tripitaka Koreana – engraved in Chinese characters between 1237CE and 1248CE. The collection represents the most complete assemblage of Buddhists discourse.

Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes

country. South Korea
year of inscription. 2007 (modification: 2018)

criteria. Natural

The Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes UNESCO WHS is located in a few sites on the island province of Jeju, South Korea. It is composed of landforms on the island resulting from volcanic activity. The WHS is composed of three main sites. The first is Geomunoreum, where lava tube system of caves can be seen. Five lava tubes are listed, with the largest at Manjanggul Cave. The next is the Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone, which is one of 360 parasitic cones on Jeju; except that this one was created on the seafloor and hence, rises dramatically out of the sea. Originally a separate island, an isthmus of sand and gravel deposits has now connected it to the main Jeju Island. The last is Mount Halla, Korea’s tallest mountain, dotted with waterfalls and multi-shaped rock formations, with a lake-filled crater.

Changdeokgung Palace Complex

country. South Korea

year of inscription. 1997

criteria. Cultural

The palace dates back to the early 15th century CE and was built on the orders of King Taejong of the Joseon Dynasty (1392CE – 1910CE) of Korea. It was designed to consist of a number of official and residential buildings set against the topographical features of the area, aligned to pungsu (traditional Korean geomancy) principles. Noteworthy too is the inclusion of an expansive garden – the Biwon, or Secret Garden – as part of the palace grounds. Originally a secondary palace, Changdeokgung became the seat of Joseon political power following its rebuilding after a Japanese invasion in the 16th century destroyed the Korean palaces and thence, became influential of Korean architecture, landscaping, and arts.

Gyeongju Historic Areas

ountry. South Korea
year of inscription. 2000

criteria. Cultural

The Silla Kingdom lasted for nearly 1,000 years, between 57BCE and 935CE. Especially from the 7^th century CE onwards, many exceptional examples of Korean Buddhist art and architecture were created, including sculptures, reliefs, pagodas, as well as religious and secular buildings. Included in this site are other secular structures and sites, including palaces, tumuli (tombs), ponds, and woodlands.