Busan to host 2026 UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting

The 47th UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting held in Paris (Yonhap)

Busan won the bid to host the 48th UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting, the Korea Heritage Service said early Wednesday, marking South Korea’s first time as host since the meeting was established in 1977.

The annual meeting is the largest annual international event on the cultural heritage calendar and will take place in July 2026.

The announcement was made during the 47th committee meeting in Paris on Tuesday.

Busan was the sole bidder for next year’s meeting. The Korea Herald has learned that Vietnam initially intended to enter a bid but later withdrew its decision to participate.

“The host country is typically chosen on a rotational basis by continent so that each region gets a fair chance, and next year was expected to be Asia’s turn. Since Japan and China have already hosted the event, and South Korea serves as a member of the committee, we actively expressed our desire to do so. Vietnam — which could have been a competitor — didn’t expect to win, so it chose not to bid,” a senior official at the KHS told The Korea Herald.

South Korea was elected to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in November 2023 for a four-year term through 2027, marking the country’s fourth such election.

Busan (Getty Images)

The KHS explained that convening a meeting of the 21-member World Heritage Committee where global strategies for artifact management are discussed would elevate Korea’s international standing.

The event is also expected to bring together government representatives who decide which sites to add to the World Heritage List and how to protect those enlisted.

About 3,000 people are expected to attend the two-week event, according to the KHS.

Previously, the meeting has been held in several Asian countries, including Cambodia’s Phnom Penh and Siem Reap in 2013, China’s Suzhou in 2004, Japan’s Kyoto in 1998 and Thailand’s Phuket in 1994.

junheee@heraldcorp.com