9 Korean Confucian Academies Recommended For UNESCO World Heritage List

Nine South Korean Confucian academies have been recommended for addition to the UNESCO World Heritage List, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said Tuesday

SEOUL, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th May, 2019 ):Nine South Korean Confucian academies have been recommended for addition to the UNESCO World Heritage List, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said Tuesday.

According to CHA, UNESCO's International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), an advisory group to UNESCO, suggested nine "Seowon," or Korean neo-Confucian academies, be listed.

The final decision will be made at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, at the end of June, with the listings most likely to be made.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee usually accepts ICOMOS' recommendations at its annual meeting.

If the Seowon successfully make it on the UNESCO list, South Korea will likely have a total of 14 World Heritage sites including Changdeok Palace in central Seoul.

Seowon refer to private Confucian academies in Korea established during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) to honor renowned Confucian scholars as well as to educate youth. They were also key venues for discussing social and state affairs among local aristocrats during the Confucianism-dominated Joseon era.

The nine recommended academies are Sosu Seowon in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province; Namgye Seowon in Hamyang, South Gyeongsang Province; Oksan Seowon in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province; Dosan and Byeongsan Seowon in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province; Dodong Seowon in Daegu; Pilam Seowon in Jangseong, South Jeolla Province; Museong Seowon in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province; and Donam Seowon in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province.

South Korea first applied for the registration of Seowon in 2015 but withdrew it a year later. At that time, ICOMOS turned down the application, saying that the Korean Confucian academies failed to show noticeable distinctive features in comparison with their Chinese and Japanese counterparts.

Since then, the South Korean government has made efforts to comply with ICOMOS' reviews and submitted an improved application in January last year.

Of them, the nine academies recommended for the World Heritage listing are relatively well-preserved as national cultural heritage items.