SEOUL — An on-site assessment is currently under way to review the potential designation of a geopark on the country's southeastern coast as a UNESCO global geopark, officials announced on Thursday. The four-day field inspection, which began this week, will continue through Sunday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the inspection covers approximately 2,693 square meters of the Gyeongbuk Donghaean Geopark, which spans the southeastern cities and counties of Pohang, Gyeongju, Yeongdeok, and Uljin. The area was designated as a national geopark in 2017, and since then, the province has worked to conserve it while promoting tourism and education within the local community.
In November, the province submitted an application for the geopark to be designated as a UNESCO global geopark. The preliminary result of the field inspection will be announced at a regional UNESCO board meeting scheduled for September, with the final result to be made public at a UNESCO general meeting set to take place in Paris in 2025.
UNESCO global geoparks are defined as single, unified geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic approach to protection, education, and sustainable development. As of April, there were 213 geoparks in 48 countries.