`Hahoe, Yangdong villages selected as best model of UNESCO World Heritage`

`Hahoe, Yangdong villages selected as best model of UNESCO World Heritage`. November. 08, 2013 07:15. .

Hahoe Village and Yangdong Village, the UNESCO-designated world heritages in Korea, have been selected as “The Best Model Case,” in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the declaration of the world heritage convention.

The Korean National Commission for UNESCO said Thursday, “The UNESCO headquarters based in Paris selected 26 cases that best embody ‘sustainable development,’ which is a key spirit for world heritages, among which were the two historical villages of Korea, Hahoe and Yangdong.” The commission has published a Korean version of ‘World Heritage: Benefit beyond Borders,’ a collection of 26 model cases selected by the UNESCO. Hahoe Village in Andong and Yangdong Village in Gyeongju, both in the southeastern part of Korea, are Korea’s major clan villages having formed in 14th to 15th century. When registered as UNESCO World Heritage in 2010, they received such evaluation as “festivals and events with artistry are well preserved as unique evidence of cultural tradition or civilization.” UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova highly praised the villages, saying they are “model examples to show how human beings and heritages can harmonize with each other in meeting the needs for both the preservation of world heritages and development at the same time.”

Last year, the evaluation was conducted on 981 world heritages scattered in 160 countries in order to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. The selection results are all the more meaningful because they reflect opinions of all UNESCO member states as well as experts and scholars from the UNESCO and its sub-organizations.

Min Dong-seok, the secretary-general of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO, said, “Hahoe and Yangdong are now recognized as model cases that inherited comprehensive values including the intangible thanks to cooperation between the residents and local and central governments.”