▲ Participants pose for a group photo during the International Conference on World Heritage Interpretation in Seoul on July 17, 2026. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, July 17 (Yonhap) -- The foreign ministry said Friday it held an international conference with a UNESCO advisory body in Seoul to discuss ways to improve the interpretation and presentation of World Heritage sites and adapt international guidelines to emerging challenges.

The conference was co-hosted by the ministry and ICOMOS-ICIP, a scientific committee under the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), UNESCO's advisory body on cultural heritage, according to the ministry.

Around 100 experts and officials discussed how international standards for heritage interpretation should evolve to address new challenges facing the cultural heritage sector.

In her opening remarks, Oh Jin-hee, director general for public and cultural diplomacy at the ministry, stressed the importance of heritage interpretation in conveying the "outstanding universal value" of World Heritage properties.

South Korea has hosted 10 international conferences on World Heritage interpretation since 2016, contributing to the development of the field and helping lead related international discussions, the ministry said.

The conference took place in the run-up to the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee, which South Korea will chair in the southeastern port city of Busan from July 19-29.

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