Life
Ahead of World Heritage Committee session, Busan museum spotlights city's wartime capital legacy
The Busan Modern and Contemporary History Museum has a new exhibition on Busan’s role as the nation’s provisional seat of government during the Korean War.
“Heritage of Busan as the Wartime Capital” presents 11 sites that were important to maintaining national functions, sheltering refugees and coordinating international cooperation under wartime conditions.
The exhibition commemorates the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee, which Busan will host from July 19 to 29. This is the first time Korea has hosted the committee since joining the World Heritage Convention in 1988.
The WHC is an integral arm of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; it is responsible for preserving and promoting properties of significance that transcend national borders and matter to humanity as a whole.
The 11 sites, collectively known as “Heritage of Busan as the Wartime Capital,” are being considered for inscription on the World Heritage List. The designation would bring the sites under international oversight and protection. Inscription also functions as a powerful branding that increases international recognition and drives tourism.
With WHC officials descending on the city, the exhibition frames the 11 sites through a World Heritage lens, demonstrating how the collection meets the “outstanding universal value” required for inscription.
“Heritage of Busan as the Wartime Capital” is organized into three sections.
Section one, “The Last City of the Korean War,” focuses on the administrative and political centers that sustained the nation’s functions amid the devastation of war.
Section two, “A City that Survived Amid the Ruins,” sheds light on the experiences of refugees who poured into Busan from across the country, while highlighting the city’s resilience in facing the sudden influx of displaced migrants.
Section three, “A City Protected by the World,” focuses on the sites tied to international solidarity and humanitarian aid during the war, underscoring the value of cooperation and peace.
※ Heritage of Busan as the Wartime Capital, until Sept. 27
◎ Busan Museum of Modern and Contemporary History: 112, Daecheong-ro, Jung-gu
◎ Google Maps: Click
◎ Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Last entry at 5 p.m. Closed on Mondays.
◎ Admission: free
◎ Homepage: Click
<Today's Vocabulary - 오늘의 단어>
provisional: 임시의 refugee: 피난민 coordinate: 조정하다 commemorate: 기념하다 preserve: 보존하다 collectively: 통틀어 administrative: 행정적인 devastation: 황폐 resilience: 회복력 solidarity: 연대 humanitarian: 인도주의적인
Editor: Song Soomi
Copy Editors: Ryu Hyoseung, Anton J. Mapoy