These are requests for screening and a decision on UNESCO inscription by the victims of the 1948-49 uprising on Jeju Island and their families.

By Kang Gahui
Photos = Korea Heritage Service

UNESCO is expected to inscribe records on the 1948-49 uprising on Jeju Island and reforestation during national reconstruction after the 1950-53 Korean War on its Memory of the World program.

UNESCO on March 19 said the program's International Advisory Committee recommended this in a meeting.

Records on the incident include victim testimonies and the truth and reconciliation process for the massacre of civilians that occurred on Jeju Island on April 3, 1948.

The documents on reforestation chronicle how reconstruction of national territory ruined by the conflict was achieved after the war through public-private cooperation.

In May, the UNESCO Executive Board will make a final decision on the inclusion.

The Korea Heritage Service in November 2023 applied to register both sets of records with the global body.

If the two are inscribed, Korea will have 20 items on the Memory of the World list including the Hunminjeongum Manuscript (Haeryebon edition) and the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty.

These photos from 1973-77 show the reforestation of Yeongilman Port in Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province.