On May 14th, the Korean National Commission for UNESCO held the '2019 International Conference on UNESCO World Heritage Interpretation' in Seoul, South Korea, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Cultural Heritage Administration.

Over 300 people attended the conference, including ambassadors of permanent delegations to UNESCO, experts on heritage interpretation, and interested members of the general public.

In his keynote presentation, entitled 'What is Heritage?,' Professor Neil Asher Silberman emphasized that heritage is not an immutable thing but an object that is open to various interpretations according to the viewpoints of the people and the times surrounding it. Professor Silberman pointed out the limitations of defining heritage in terms of physical aspects and called for active efforts to devise an alternative method of defining heritage.  

Professor Silberman’s presentation was followed by a series of expert presentations on two themes: ‘Changing Trends in Heritage Interpretation’ and ‘Heritage Interpretation for Reconciliation of Cultures,’ and further discussions on the subject of heritage interpretation.

▶ The conference papers can be downloaded from the Korean National Commission for UNESCO website (Link: https://www.unesco.or.kr/data/report/).​

▶​ The 'International Conference on UNESCO World Heritage Interpretation' began in 2016. It serves as a forum for nuanced discourse on issues relating to the use of heritage and its interpretation beyond the conventional focus on inscription as World Heritage and preservation. Further details about this year’s conference can be found (in Korean) in the June 2019 edition of UNESCO News, published by the Korean National Commission for UNESCO. ​