The Korea Heritage Service (KHS) on June 22 announced its renewal three days earlier of a memorandum of understanding with UNESCO on the latter's Transboundary World Heritage Trust Fund at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. Shown are Kim Ji-hee (from left), ambassador and permanent delegate to UNESCO, KHS Administrator Huh Min, UNESCO Assistant Director-general for Culture Nayef Al-Fayez and World Heritage Centre Director Lazare Eloundou Assomo. (KHS)

By Yoo Yeon Gyeong

The Korea Heritage Service (KHS) is expanding cooperation with UNESCO to protect World Heritage sites.

The KHS on June 22 announced its renewal three days earlier of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with UNESCO on the latter's Transboundary World Heritage Trust Fund at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

Transboundary heritage refers to heritage spanning two or more countries that jointly nominate, preserve and manage under UNESCO's World Heritage framework. The KHS has given a financial contribution to the fund to support inscription as World Heritage sites and capacity building.

The renewal of the MOU will have the KHS provide an additional KRW 5.5 billion from 2026-30 to support new initiatives including those for responding to climate change. From 2021-25, it contributed KRW 5.5 billion to UNESCO to back the discovery and nomination of new sites of transboundary heritage in Asia as well as capacity-building programs.

dusrud21@korea.kr