The registration of the "Reforestation Records of the Republic of Korea" (hereinafter referred to as the Reforestation Records) as a UNESCO Memory of the World is being pursued.
Photos capturing the forestation process in Yeongil Bay from 1973 to 1977. Provided by the Korea Forest Service.
On the 30th, the Korea Forest Service announced that it had submitted the application for the Reforestation Records to be registered as a UNESCO Memory of the World to the UNESCO Secretariat on the same day.
Previously, the Korea Forest Policy Research Association formed a dedicated task force (T/F) to supplement and revise the application by emphasizing the historical significance and completeness of the records. As a result, it passed the review by the UNESCO Korean National Commission in August, qualifying it for registration as a Memory of the World.
For the Reforestation Records to be finally registered as a Memory of the World, it must pass the review of the UNESCO Executive Board in the first half of 2025.
The Reforestation Records document the process of reforesting the devastated domestic forests through cooperation between the public and private sectors, and take various forms such as stamps, posters, photographs, administrative documents, and videos. These records are planned to be exhibited and preserved at the "50th Anniversary of National Reforestation Memorial Hall," which will be established at the National Sejong Arboretum in the future.
Meanwhile, the Memory of the World program has been promoted by UNESCO since 1997 to designate records of value worthy of preservation for generations to come.
Currently, South Korea has 18 registered Memory of the World items. This is the highest number in Asia and the fifth highest in the world.
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