▲ South Korean and French officials pose for a photo in Seoul after signing a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in the preservation and management of Korea's Jongmyo Shrine and France's Basilica of Saint-Denis, in this photo provided by the Korea Heritage Service. From left are Marie Lavandier, president of France's National Monuments Center; Catherine Pegard, the French minister of culture; Heo Min, head of the Korea Heritage Service; and Ahn Ho, acting director of the KHS' Royal Palaces and Tombs Center. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

S Korea-France-heritage conservation

S. Korea, France sign MOU to cooperate in conserving Jongmyo, Saint-Denis Basilica

SEOUL, April 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and France have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to cooperate in the conservation of two of their most significant cultural landmarks, Korea's Jongmyo Shrine and France's Basilica of Saint-Denis, Seoul's heritage agency said Monday.

The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center of the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) said the agreement was signed in Seoul on Thursday with France's National Monuments Center under the French Culture Ministry to enhance cooperation in conserving cultural heritage.

Under the MOU, the two agencies will work together on the preservation and management of Jongmyo and the Basilica of Saint-Denis, reflecting each nation's historical and cultural traditions.

Jongmyo is a royal shrine where the ancestral tablets of kings and queens from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) are enshrined. It was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list for the first time in South Korea in 1995, along with Seokguram Grotto, Bulguk Temple and the Janggyeong Panjeon at Haein Temple.

Located in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, the basilica has served as the burial site for French royalty since the 7th century and houses the tombs of 43 kings, 32 queens, and about 60 princes and princesses.

The KHS said the MOU was one of the outcomes of the recent summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and French President Emmanuel Macron in Seoul.

During a high-level meeting attended by French culture ministry officials, both sides also agreed to expand expert exchanges and joint field visits connecting their representative heritage sites, officials said.

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