▲ This undated file photo provided by the Korea Heritage Service shows a view of the 47th World Heritage Committee session at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ This photo provided by Park Kyung-rip, an honorary professor of Gangwon University, shows representatives from around the world attending the 47th World Heritage Committee session at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on July 12, 2025. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

heritage committee-host country

S. Korea to host UNESCO World Heritage meeting for 1st time in 2026

SEOUL, July 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will host the 48th annual session of UNESCO's World Heritage Committee next year in the southeastern port city of Busan, according to the committee.

The decision was made during the committee's ongoing meeting at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on Tuesday, marking the first time that South Korea will serve as host of the annual gathering, which determines new additions to the World Heritage list.

The 2026 session is scheduled to take place in Busan, located about 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, next July

with representatives from 196 countries around the world attending.

The committee has previously convened in several Asian cities, including Phuket, Thailand (1994); Kyoto, Japan (1998); Suzhou (2004) and Fuzhou (2021, held virtually) of China; Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, Cambodia (2013); and New Delhi, India (2024).

The World Heritage Committee is responsible for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention and the protection of cultural and natural sites of outstanding universal value.

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