A tidal flat in the city of Suncheon on South Korea’s southwestern coast. (image: World Heritage Promotion Team of Korean Tidal Flats)
SEOUL, Feb. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea has recommended again tidal flats on the country’s southwestern coast as a candidate for UNESCO’s World Heritage listing in 2020, the Cultural Heritage Administration said Friday.
It is the second time Seoul has nominated the 1,000-square-meter site consisting of the tidal flats in Seocheon in South Chungcheong Province, Gochang in North Jeolla Province, and Sinan, Boseong and Suncheon in South Jeolla Province.
The Korean tidal flats “Getbol” boasts extensive coastal wetlands that are home to rare species, such as spoon-billed sandpipers and a layer of mudflat sediment that is the thickest in the world.
In January last year, a preliminary review panel of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization rejected South Korea’s recommendation of the tidal lands, citing an improper description of an area to be protected and a buffer zone on a map.
The global body’s World Heritage Committee will make a decision on Seoul’s latest recommendation in July next year after receiving a review by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, an international advisory body on natural sites nominated for the World Heritage status, by March next year.
(Yonhap)
