The World Heritage Committee,
- Having examined Documents WHC/23/45.COM/8B and WHC/23/45.COM/INF.8B1,
- Inscribes the Gaya Tumuli, Republic of Korea, on the World Heritage List on the basis of criterion (iii);
- Adopts the following Statement of Outstanding Universal Value:
Brief synthesis
The Gaya Tumuli are a serial property consisting of seven cemeteries created by members of the Gaya Confederacy, an ancient collection of several polities that persisted from the 1st through the mid-6th centuries CE in the southern section of the Korean Peninsula. The seven cemeteries are the Daeseong-dong Tumuli, Marisan Tumuli, Okjeon Tumuli, Jisan-dong Tumuli, Songhak-dong Tumuli, Yugok-ri and Durak-ri Tumuli, and Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli.
Through its geographical distribution, locational characteristics, types of burials, and contents of grave goods, the property attests to the distinctive Gaya political system in which affiliated polities were allowed to exist as autonomous political equals while sharing cultural commonalities. The Gaya Confederacy responded with flexibly to political shifts in ancient East Asia and contributed to maintaining the balance of power in the region by cooperating internally and taking part in exchanges with neighbouring states.
The seven cemeteries are the burial grounds for the top leaders of seven Gaya polities that developed independently at different sites across the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. The cemeteries are all located on elevated terrain at the centre of a polity and are home to densely clustered tombs constructed over a long period. This dispersed distribution of equally monumental and elaborate tomb clusters manifesting shared practices for locating and building high-status tombs testifies to the existence of multiple equally powerful and autonomous polities living under the influence of the same culture.
The cemeteries all feature a particular kind of stone-lined burial chamber and have produced a distinctive form of pottery, respectively known as the Gaya-type stone-lined chamber burial and Gaya-style pottery. These commonalities contribute to identifying the territorial bounds of the Gaya Confederacy. Individual variations can still be found within these two indicators, allowing the boundaries of each polity to be identified and testifying to their political autonomy. Other grave goods, such as iron weapons reflecting similar levels of military power and trade goods imported into and exchanged within the Gaya Confederacy, demonstrate how the seven polities existed as political equals and maintained a level of internal parity.
Criterion (iii): The Gaya Tumuli bear exceptional testimony to Gaya, a unique ancient East Asian civilisation that coexisted with its more strongly centralised neighbours but maintained a distinct confederated political system. The property is important evidence of the diversity found among ancient East Asian civilisations.
Integrity
The Gaya Tumuli comprehensively manifest the distinct political system of Gaya, incorporating within the boundaries of the component parts all the attributes necessary to convey its Outstanding Universal Value, such as geographical distribution, locational characteristics, types of burial and grave goods.
The archaeological attributes of the property are mostly conserved in good condition. The component areas are large enough to demonstrate the topographical and spatial characteristics of the property and the process of its development.
The property is under rigorous government protection according to the Cultural Heritage Protection Act and is unlikely to suffer from adverse effects of either development or neglect. Some of the cemeteries have been affected by nearby urbanisation, but not to an extent that would have an adverse impact on their attributes.
Authenticity
The seven cemeteries meet the conditions of authenticity in terms of form and design, materials and substance, and location and setting.
Excavation within the property has been conducted to the minimal possible extent and only for academic or conservation purposes by expert institutes. The excavations conducted to date have confirmed the authenticity of the burial structures, burial-mound construction methods and building materials. Repair work within the component parts’ settings is conducted by nationally licensed heritage professionals and ensure that there are no impacts on the Outstanding Universal Value. It is based on the findings of archaeological research and takes place only after a thorough analysis of the original form, structure, material, and construction methods.
Although the wider settings of the property component parts have evolved to a certain extent, there has been little change in location and topography, the major attributes conveying the Outstanding Universal Value.
Protection and management requirements
The property is safeguarded by the Cultural Heritage Protection Act and other rules and regulations. Each of the seven cemeteries has been nationally designated as a Heritage Area with the title “Historic Site”. The buffer zones are mostly included in the Historic and Cultural Environment Preservation Area for each cemetery (an additional layer of protection offered to a Heritage Area) and therefore benefit from strict development restrictions.
The authorisation of any change in the current state of the property falls under the responsibility of the Cultural Heritage Administration and on-site management is carried out by the pertinent local governments. Archaeological research and repair efforts on the property are conducted by professionally certified groups and individuals under the overriding principle of maintaining the authenticity and integrity. Grave goods from the property are vested with the State and housed at museums and other research institutes. Funds required for the management and conservation of the property are provided by the Cultural Heritage Administration and the pertinent local governments.
A conservation plan has been prepared for each cemetery. The World Heritage Nomination Office for the Gaya Tumuli is leading the efforts at monitoring the property in an integrated manner. The Nomination Office has also established an integrated management plan. Disaster-prevention facilities have been installed at each site. A network of close cooperation for disaster prevention has been established at each cemetery with relevant organisations. Local residents are participating in heritage interpretation and monitoring activities.
- Recommends that the State Party give consideration to the following:
- Continuing the process of acquisition of the privately-owned land plots within the component parts,
- Mitigating the impact of intrusive elements in the buffer zones and on the property, especially the road that is dividing the Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli component part,
- Developing strategies to promote all the sites, in order to disperse the visitor levels more evenly amongst the component parts,
- Establishing an integrated monitoring system based at least partly on quantitative data,
- Further involving local communities in the decision-making processes.