K-heritage in the spotlight as Korea prepares for big Unesco gathering in Busan in July

This article is by Jin Eun-soo and read by an artificial voice. "I hope the true beauty of Korean heritage, also known as K-heritage, will become widely known [during the gathering]," President Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday at Bexco in Busan after being briefed on preparations for the event by officials, including Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young and Korea Heritage Service (KHS) Administrator Huh Min. "The driving force behind K-culture, which is leading the global culture, is undoubtedly K-heritage," Lee said. "Korea should stand at the forefront of building cooperation and solidarity within the global community amid climate crises, geopolitical risks and rapid development." For Korea, the committee will decide on the nomination of "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats Phase 2," a proposal to add four new mudflat areas in South Jeolla and South Chungcheong to the existing four from Phase 1. The July event marks the first time Korea has hosted the committee since joining the Unesco World Heritage Convention in 1988. President Lee called for "thorough and meticulous" preparation in transportation, accommodation and safety on Wednesday. Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and KHS will establish a K-Heritage House, a complex roughly the size of two football pitches, where aspects of Korea's culture will be showcased. The space will be divided into four themes. The Heritage Archive exhibition will showcase Korea's heritage inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage list — 17 World Heritage sites, including 15 cultural and two natural properties, as well as 20 documentary heritage properties. The Living Heritage section will showcase demonstrations and performances of various forms of intangible heritage, while the Heritage Future and Collaboration Zone sections will feature experiential zones and digital content exhibitions. A slew of live performances showcasing Korea's intangible heritage — including gatil, a performance centered on the traditional Korean hat gat; gut, a traditional Korean shamanic ritual; and Jongmyo Jeryeak, the ritual music performed at royal ancestral ceremonies — will take place on the sidelines. The changing of the royal guard, normally held at Gyeongbok Palace and Deoksu Palace in central Seoul, will also be reenacted in Busan, marking the first time the event has been staged outside the capital. "We are not hosting this event as a one-off, but with the ambition of taking a leading role in the global heritage field," Huh from the KHS said. "As preparations are being carried out at the pan-government level, we will make sure that once the event concludes, people will say, 'As expected, it's Korea.'"