Gyeongju City Holds 'Korea-China Academic Conference' at Oksan Seowon... "Strict Compliance with Quarantine Rules"

1st Anniversary of Korean Seowon Being Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] On the 19th, Gyeongju City in Gyeongbuk announced on the 20th that it held a Korea-China academic conference at Oksan Seowon, one of the 'Korean Seowon' listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, in commemoration of the 1st anniversary of its inscription, together with the Cultural Heritage Administration and others.

The World Heritage Committee (WHC) inscribed the 'Korean Seowon' as a cultural heritage on the list of World Heritage sites at the 43rd meeting held in Baku, Azerbaijan on July 6 last year.

There are 14 UNESCO World Heritage sites located in Korea. Among them, Gyeongju holds the most with four sites: Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple, Gyeongju Historic Areas, Korean Historic Villages (Hahoe and Yangdong), and Korean Seowon (Oksan Seowon). Oksan Seowon is a seowon established as the base of the Sarim scholars in the southeastern region of Gyeongsang Province, led by the Sarim scholars of the Gyeongju area.

The academic conference was held as part of the Cultural Heritage Administration's World Heritage Festival project, aiming to promote the charm of the nine seowon nationwide responsible for spreading Neo-Confucianism and education during the Joseon Dynasty, as well as their value as World Heritage sites. Prior to the conference, a commemorative plaque unveiling ceremony celebrating the UNESCO World Heritage inscription was also held.

According to Gyeongju City, the event was conducted in strict compliance with quarantine rules such as wearing masks and temperature checks in accordance with the implementation of social distancing level 1 due to COVID-19.

Mayor Joo Nak-young of Gyeongju said, "Through this academic exchange, we expect it to be a turning point in the study of the thoughts of Hoijae, one of the Five Sages of the East who achieved great academic accomplishments, and the scholarship of the Gyeongju Confucian scholars embodied in Oksan Seowon."