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“Heritage of Busan, Wartime Capital during the Korean War” Enters Full Track for World Heritage Inscription: Preparing Application for UNESCO Preliminary Assessment

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that the “Heritage of Busan, Wartime Capital during the Korean War (Sites of the Wartime Capital)” is scheduled to apply for a UNESCO Preliminary Assessment this year.

The “Heritage of Busan, Wartime Capital during the Korean War” (hereinafter referred to as “wartime heritage”) was officially inscribed on UNESCO’s Tentative List in the modern heritage category for the first time in Korea on May 16, 2023. It was subsequently selected for the Cultural Heritage Administration’s World Heritage Priority List in 2025 and is now preparing for the UNESCO Preliminary Assessment as the next step.

In the first half of the year, the preliminary assessment application will be prepared through consultation with the Cultural Heritage Administration and expert advisory input. Once finalized through deliberation by the World Heritage Subcommittee of the Cultural Heritage Committee, the application will be officially submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre in September.

The preliminary assessment is conducted by UNESCO’s advisory body, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), through a desk review, with results typically taking about one year to be communicated.

This preliminary assessment represents an important step in which the “Heritage of Busan, Wartime Capital during the Korean War” is evaluated in advance by international experts prior to formal World Heritage nomination. The results serve as a key indicator for assessing the likelihood of inscription.

In 2023, the “Capital Fortifications of Hanyang,” which applied for a preliminary assessment for the first time in Korea, received feedback in 2024 on its potential for inscription along with additional recommendations. It has since been supplemented accordingly and selected as a candidate for World Heritage nomination, the final stage in the domestic process. In September last year, its draft nomination dossier was submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, and it is currently awaiting on-site inspection and final decision by the committee.

Busan Metropolitan City plans to fully commit to this UNESCO preliminary assessment while strengthening the foundation for future inscription efforts. This includes reinforcing the organizational structure for inscription, continuously conducting related research, and establishing a long-term framework for the nomination process. The city will also develop comprehensive conservation and management plans for each heritage component to build a systematic and integrated preservation management system.

Through sustainable conservation and management of each component property, as well as reorganization of related organizations and institutions, the city aims to promote systematic and integrated management. In addition, continuous discovery, documentation, archiving, and management of associated heritage—alongside the 11 component sites—will further enhance and complement the spatial value of Busan’s original downtown area as a “wartime capital.” This is expected to contribute positively to regional development alongside World Heritage inscription.

In particular, to establish strategies for preparing the UNESCO preliminary assessment and to build a systematic and efficient implementation framework aimed at World Heritage inscription by 2030, an academic forum involving domestic experts in related fields will be held on April 9 (Thursday) at the Busan Modern and Contemporary History Museum Annex.

The city also plans to strengthen cooperation with local residents, district offices, and relevant institutions to enhance public interest and participation in the World Heritage inscription process.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “The ‘Heritage of Busan, Wartime Capital during the Korean War’ represents an important opportunity to present Busan— which supported the Republic of Korea by embracing refugees during the hardships of the Korean War— as a global symbol of international solidarity, cooperation, and peace. We will thoroughly prepare for the preliminary assessment to achieve favorable results and will continue to promote the identity and history of Busan as a wartime capital of global historical significance, while preserving its historical and cultural values together with the citizens of Busan.”