Busan is good

Mayor Chun Jae-soo Meets with the UNESCO Director-General During Visit to Busan, Discusses Future Cooperation Between Busan and UNESCO

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Busan Metropolitan City announced that Mayor Chun Jae-soo met with UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany this morning (July 20) at Exhibition Hall 1 of BEXCO to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in the field of World Heritage and expand international exchange.

The meeting was arranged to coincide with the 48th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Busan and focused on practical measures to reinforce the foundation for Busan's World Heritage inscription efforts while expanding cooperation in the World Heritage sector.

UNESCO is a specialized agency of the United Nations dedicated to promoting world peace and the common advancement of humanity through international cooperation in education, science, and culture. It is responsible for the inscription and conservation of World Heritage properties.

During the meeting, Mayor Chun expressed his appreciation for the Director-General's visit to Busan as the host city of the World Heritage Committee session and proposed measures to further expand exchanges between Busan and UNESCO.

First, he proposed institutionalizing the Busan Global Heritage Forum as a regular international cooperation platform to discuss global challenges shared by all countries, including war, disasters, climate change, and digital heritage management, as a follow-up initiative to the World Heritage Committee session.

He also proposed jointly exploring the establishment of a UNESCO Category 2 Centre as an international cooperation hub to support the conservation and management of World Heritage through digital technologies and strengthen the capacity of developing countries.

In addition, the City expressed its commitment to sharing the value of the Wartime Capital Busan Heritage of the Korean War with the international community and strengthening the foundation for its inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List by 2030.

UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany expressed his expectations for closer cooperation with Busan following the World Heritage Committee session.

In particular, he expressed his hope that Busan would share its advanced expertise in digital and maritime technologies, as well as its know-how in heritage conservation, with the international community and play a leading role in safeguarding heritage worldwide.

He also conveyed his sincere hope that the Wartime Capital Busan Heritage of the Korean War, currently on UNESCO's Tentative List for World Heritage inscription, would successfully complete the inscription process by 2030.

Busan Metropolitan City expects that these discussions on cooperation will not only strengthen the foundation for World Heritage inscription but also enhance Busan's international profile and promote greater international exchange.

Also attending the meeting was Nayef Al-Fayez, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture. As a token of Busan's warm hospitality, the City presented commemorative name seals engraved with the visitors' names in the Korean alphabet, expressing the beauty of the writing system while conveying its hopes for continued cooperation and mutual trust.

In response, Director-General Khaled El-Enany said, "Thank you for your warm hospitality. I am deeply impressed by Busan, which has grown from a wartime capital into the vibrant maritime city it is today."

Mayor Chun Jae-soo said, "Building on the successful hosting of the World Heritage Committee session, Busan will become a trusted partner working closely with UNESCO. We look forward to UNESCO's continued interest and cooperation, not only in achieving World Heritage inscription for the Wartime Capital Busan Heritage but also in establishing Busan as a globally recognized hub for cultural heritage."