The Gaya Tumuli in South Gyeongsang Province’s Gimhae and Haman, clusters of tombs of kings and aristocrats of the Gaya Kingdom (A.D. 43-532), have been put on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

According to the Cultural Heritage Administration on Monday, the two sites were nominated as World Heritage Sites, to be evaluated by the World Heritage Committee for final listing.

“Gimhae Daeseong-dong Tumuli and Haman Malisan Tumuli were recommended as candidates for the World Heritage in view of their original form, preservation and management system, and the outstanding heritage value,” UNESCO said in its description of the two sites.

The Gaya Tumuli are tombs of kings and aristocrats of Gaya, one of the Korean Peninsula’s first kingdoms. The site consists of hundreds of tombs of varying sizes, the largest ones measuring 20 meters in radius.

A total of 16 sites in Korea are on the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list. Among them are 12 cultural properties and four natural sites.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)