Historic Monuments and Sites in Kaesong

• Impacts of tourism/visitor/recreation (Need to develop tourism management and interpretation plans)
• Management systems/Management Plan (Need to further develop the monitoring system to ensure coordination between the monitoring bodies)

On 26 February 2019, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation, which is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1278/documents/ and provides the following information:

• The Tourism Management Plan requested by the Committee was endorsed by the Cabinet of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in November 2018 and is now in effect, according to the national legal framework. The Tourism Management Plan establishes actions for the period 2019-2028 and includes interpretation plans. The Plan was prepared in 2013-2015 with the cooperation of the World Heritage Centre, UNESCO Beijing Office and ICOMOS. The implementation of this Plan is reviewed at sessions of the non-permanent national heritage protection committee;
• To strengthen the monitoring of the property and its setting, the State Party established some new structures within the existing management system. In 2018, the Management Office for Manwoldae, Kaesong National Heritage Protection and Management Office, and the Management Office for Mausoleum of King Wang Kon were established. These management bodies complement the responsibilities of the National Authority for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (NAPCH) and the provincial and city government agencies for cultural heritage. The State Party anticipates that these new arrangements will enhance monitoring capacity, and assist with the implementation of the Tourism Management Plan.

The State Party has also provided comments concerning ongoing challenges, particularly in relation to the conservation of wooden structures, roof tiles and mural paintings in the tombs. Conservation works have been undertaken in cooperation with technical experts from national institutions, but the State Party acknowledges that it is necessary to strengthen the technical expertise and means available of personnel working at the management bodies on site, thus allowing them to take immediate measures, in collaboration with national agencies concerned and conservation specialists.

Within the buffer zone, conservation efforts in the old residential quarter of Kaesong have also presented challenges, due in part to community aspirations and awareness. The State Party anticipates that these areas are assets in the potential for sustainable tourism, and will be aided by the implementation of the Tourism Management Plan.

The efforts of the State Party to endorse and implement the Tourism Management Plan and associated interpretation plans are acknowledged, and the implementation of the actions for the first 5-year period should be actively monitored. The detail of these plans has not been reviewed, and the State Party should be requested to ensure that all planned projects or works that may have an impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property are subject to Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) processes and that these assessments are forwarded to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies.

The additional steps to strengthen the monitoring of the state of conservation and the effective management through the creation of additional management bodies are welcome. The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies consider that attention to the level of expertise available within these management bodies and to the coordination of their activities is important for the long-term effectiveness of these arrangements.

The issues identified by the State Party concerning the conservation of original fabric within the property are of concern, and the State Party’s willingness to increase the availability of technical expertise within the management bodies is warranted. It is therefore suggested that additional capacity-building initiatives are warranted and that additional international cooperation efforts between national institutions and international experts could be an effective means of advancing technical competence in these areas.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies share the concerns of the State Party concerning challenges to conservation of the historic fabric and character of the old residential quarter of Kaesong, located in the buffer zone. This area provides an important setting to the property and contributes to the integrity of the inscribed serial property. The State Party describes issues that are common to many historic cities, including demographic shifts, community aspirations, sustainable tourism, and awareness raising. It is recommended that the Committee encourage the State Party to address these issues proactively and to consider using the principles and tools arising from the implementation of the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape.