List of World Heritage Sites in South Korea

Baekje Historic Areas

Changdeok Palace / Jongmyo Shrine

Gyeongju Historic Areas

Haeinsa

Hahoe

Yangdong

Hwaseong

Jeju

Namhansanseong

Royal Tombs of the Joseon

Bulguksa and Seokguram

Dolmen Sites

Sansa

Seowon

Getbol

class=notpageimage|

Location of World Heritage Sites in South Korea.^[1]
Note: Seoul is home to three separate properties; Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty as well as Getbol and Sansa locate throughout the country, only one site is shown on map respectively.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972.^[2] The Republic of Korea accepted the convention on 14 September 1988, making its historical sites eligible for inclusion on the list. As of 2021, there are fifteen World Heritage Sites in South Korea, including thirteen cultural sites and two natural sites.^[1]

The first three sites of South Korea, Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, the Depositories for the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks, Jongmyo Shrine and Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple, were inscribed on the list at the 19th Session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Berlin, Germany in 1995.^[3] In 2007, Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes became the first site selected for its natural significance.^[4] South Korea's fourteenth heritage inscription, Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies, was added to the list in 2019,^[5] followed by Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats selected as the country's second natural world heritage in 2021.^[6]

In addition to its inscribed sites, South Korea also maintains twelve properties on its tentative list.^[7]

World Heritage Sites[]

UNESCO lists sites under ten criteria; each entry must meet at least one of the criteria. Criteria i through vi are cultural, whereas vii through x are natural.^[8]

Site	Image	Location	Year listed	UNESCO data	Description
Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple		KorNorth Gyeongsang	1995	Cultural:KorSeo (i)(iv)	[9]
Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, the Depositories for the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks		KorSouth Gyeongsang	1995	Cultural:KorHae (iv)(vi)	[10]
Jongmyo Shrine		KorSeoul	1995	Cultural:KorJon (iv)	[11]
Changdeokgung Palace Complex		KorSeoul	1997	Cultural:KorCha (ii)(iii)(iv)	[12]
Hwaseong Fortress		KorGyeonggi	1997	Cultural:KorHwa (ii)(iii)	[13]
Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa Dolmen Sites		KorIncheon, North Jeolla and South Jeolla	2000	Cultural:KorCha (iii)	[14]
Gyeongju Historic Areas		KorNorth Gyeongsang	2000	Cultural:KorGye (ii)(iii)	[15]
Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes		KorJeju	2007	Natural:KorJej (vii)(viii)	[16]
Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty		KorGyeonggi, Seoul and Gangwon	2009	Cultural:KorRoy (iii)(iv)(vi)	[17]
Historic Villages of Korea: Hahoe and Yangdong		KorNorth Gyeongsang	2010	Cultural:KorHis (iii)(iv)	[18]
Namhansanseong		KorGyeonggi	2014	Cultural:KorNam (ii)(iv)	[19]
Baekje Historic Areas		KorSouth Chungcheong and North Jeolla	2015	Cultural:KorBae (ii)(iii)	[20]
Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries in Korea		KorNorth Chungcheong, North Gyeongsang, South Chungcheong, South Gyeongsang and South Jeolla	2018	Cultural:KorSan (iii)	[21]
Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies		KorDaegu, North Gyeongsang, North Jeolla, South Chungcheong and South Gyeongsang	2019	Cultural:KorSwo (iii)	[22]
Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats		KorNorth Jeolla, South Chungcheong and South Jeolla	2021	Natural:KorJej (x)	[23]

Tentative list[]

In addition to sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, member states can maintain a list of tentative sites that they may consider for nomination. Nominations for the World Heritage List are only accepted if the site was previously listed on the tentative list.^[24] As of 2021, South Korea maintains twelve properties on its tentative list:^[7]

1. Ancient Mountain Fortresses in Central Korea
2. Daegokcheon Stream Petroglyphs
3. Gaya Tumuli of Gimhae – Haman
4. Kangjingun Kiln Sites
5. Mt. Soraksan Nature Reserve
6. Naganeupseong, Town Fortress and Village
7. Oeam Folk Village
8. Salterns in South Jeolla Province - Sinan and Yeonggwang
9. Seoul City Wall
10. Sites of fossilized dinosaurs across the southern South Korean coast
11. Stone Buddhas and Pagodas at Hwasun Unjusa Temple
12. Upo Wetland

See also[]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for South Korea.

• List of South Korean tourist attractions

References[]