UNESCO wrapped up a three-month review of the petroglyphs at Bangucheon, a stream in Ulsan, initiating the final step in deciding whether to list the prehistoric rock carvings as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
According to the Korea Heritage Service on Monday, an official with the International Council on Monuments and Sites, which advises UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, last week completed a five-day on-site inspection of the carvings, capping the monthslong review initiated by ICOMOS in March. South Korea submitted the application for World Heritage Site listing in January.
Benjamin Smith, a professor at the University of Western Australia, studied the Bangucheon site, which encompasses the Cheonjeon-ri and Daegok-ri petroglyphs in Ulju-gun, Ulsan. KHS officials joined him, providing him an interpreter during the trip.
ICOMOS, which does not make public the inspection results, will now start the paper review of Korea’s proposal for inscription, a process that will be completed by May next year after deliberation on plans for preservation.
In July 2025, the 21-member World Heritage Committee will convene a meeting to discuss the ICOMOS decision. Three decisions are possible: recommend, dismiss or hold off on the proposal.
“There is no rule that says the committee vote of approval should be unanimous,” a KHS official said of the process.
“Generally speaking, the committee gives approval or conditional approval,” the official added.
Seoul last year began a four-year term on the committee and is eyeing to host its annual meeting in 2026. It would be the first time for Seoul to host the meeting since 1977 when the meetings began.
UNESCO has made that offer, according to the KHS, which noted that hosting the meeting would be a new milestone in the country’s push for wider global recognition as a cultural powerhouse.
