Yangju Mayor Suhyun Kang Pledges to Focus Administrative Resources on Hoeamsaji World Heritage Registration

Yangju City Holds Strategic Meeting for "Hoeamsaji World Heritage Registration"

On October 23, Yangju City in Gyeonggi Province held the "Expert Research Team Meeting for the Registration of Yangju Hoeamsaji as a World Heritage Site" at the Mayor's Office of Yangju City Hall.

Suhyun Kang, Mayor of Yangju (fourth from the left), is taking a commemorative photo with attendees after holding the "Expert Research Team Meeting for the Registration of Yangju Hoeamsaji as a World Heritage Site" at the Mayor's Office of Yangju City Hall on the 23rd. Provided by Yangju City

The meeting was organized to commend the efforts of researchers who have contributed to research and promotion in various fields such as World Heritage, Buddhist history, architectural history, and archaeology for the selection of Hoeamsaji as a preliminary World Heritage listing. It also aimed to establish strategies for the upcoming preliminary evaluation and World Heritage registration procedures.

In addition, the meeting featured in-depth discussions on preparations for the World Heritage registration process, including the preliminary evaluation, preservation and management, and promotional strategies. Strategic approaches utilizing the expertise and experience of the research team were also presented.

Going forward, Yangju City plans to actively incorporate the opinions of the research team during the World Heritage registration process and to widely promote the historical and cultural value of Hoeamsaji worldwide through ongoing cooperation with academia, the National Heritage Administration, Gyeonggi Province, and other relevant experts and organizations.

Suhyun Kang, Mayor of Yangju, said, "This meeting has provided a valuable opportunity to strengthen our academic network with experts. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the research team for their dedicated efforts thus far. Moving forward, we will focus all administrative resources on promoting the World Heritage value of Hoeamsaji and carrying out the necessary procedures for the preliminary evaluation and World Heritage registration."

Yangju Hoeamsaji (a National Historic Site) is recognized as outstanding physical evidence of the exchange of Seon Buddhism culture, which was prevalent in East Asia in the 14th century. It is also valued as an archaeological heritage site that concretely demonstrates the typical layout of a Seon monastery complex. For these reasons, it was included in the preliminary World Heritage listing in March. In September, an application for the preliminary evaluation was submitted to UNESCO, and the international review process is currently underway.