The Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea has concluded an arrangement with UNESCO regarding cooperation on the protection of world heritage properties in the Asia Pacific region. The arrangement signed in Paris on June 22 by Choe Kwang-shik, the Administrator of CHA and Irina Bokova, the Director General of UNESCO, is expected to stir Korea’s more active involvement in UNESCO’s efforts concerning World Heritage.

The arrangement is a follow-up action to the UNESCO/ROK funds-in-trust project on preservation of cultural heritage in DPRK launched in 2000 but to be terminated this year. Not only continuing the project for the DPRK, CHA intends to extend its support to other developing countries in the Asia Pacific region to help them inscribe their historic sites of outstanding universal value on the World Heritage List as well as to conserve and manage their already registered properties.

For the projects to be launched based on the arrangement, Korea will share its accumulated experiences and know-how in the field of World Heritage with the countries concerned, dispatching experts and providing finances, thereby contributing to the countries’ endeavours to strengthen their capacity for cultural heritage protection.