![The tidal flats of Hamnae Bay in Muan [Provided by the Korea Tidal Flats World Heritage Inscription Promotion Committee]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/07/25/news-p.v1.20260725.e33e2c951280447a9f6cf75dafd28ad6_P1.jpg)
South Korea's tidal flats — home to more than 2,400 species, including endangered migratory birds — have expanded their footprint on the world heritage map.
The 48th UNESCO World Heritage Committee, meeting Saturday at BEXCO in Busan, approved the second-phase expansion of "Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats" as a World Heritage Site.
The newly added areas are tidal flats in Seosan in South Chungcheong Province and in Yeosu, Goheung and Muan in South Jeolla Province.
The expansion comes five years after the Seocheon, Gochang, Sinan and Boseong-Suncheon tidal flats were first inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2021, broadening both the scope and coverage of the designation.
The World Heritage Committee said the Getbol tidal flats meet the inscription criteria addressing the importance of biodiversity and the conservation of endangered species.
It added that the site "contributes to the conservation of internationally important migratory waterbirds and diverse marine life as a key habitat within the Yellow Sea ecosystem and the East Asian-Australasian Flyway."
The Korean tidal flats are regarded as a repository of rare species.
Stretching along the southwestern coast of the Korean Peninsula, the flats feature a diverse range of sedimentary environments — mudflats, sandy shores and rocky outcrops — and serve as a vital resting ground for millions of waterbirds each year.
The site is South Korea's 15th World Heritage property and its second natural heritage site.
According to the Korea Tidal Flats World Heritage Inscription Promotion Committee, the expanded heritage zone covers about 27,975 hectares, with a buffer zone of 24,795 hectares established to protect the site.
The Seosan tidal flats, located in Garorim Bay, are the northernmost of the newly added areas.
The site is a regular habitat for the spotted seal, the apex predator of the marine ecosystem, and has recorded more than 170 bird species, including the black-faced spoonbill, the Chinese egret and the Far Eastern curlew.
The Yeosu tidal flats, on the eastern shore of Yeoja Bay, are home to a wide variety of species, including six legally protected or endangered wildlife species such as the sesarmid crab, the red-clawed sesarmid crab and the fiddler crab.
The Goheung tidal flats are known to support a total of 726 species, forming an ecosystem shaped by thick fine-mud flats and diverse seaweed.
The Muan Tando Bay tidal flats have drawn attention alongside the Sinan flats as a waterbird habitat, while the Hamnae Bay flats are considered especially valuable as a resting ground for 17 internationally endangered bird species.
With these additions, the Getbol World Heritage Site now comprises the Boseong-Suncheon-Yeosu-Goheung tidal flats, the Sinan-Muan Tando Bay tidal flats, the Muan Hamnae Bay tidal flats, the Gochang tidal flats, the Seocheon tidal flats and the Seosan tidal flats.
The promotion committee said the expansion "organically connects the habitat routes of migratory waterbirds, strengthens the overall protection framework for tidal flats along the Yellow Sea coast, and completes the process of establishing ecological continuity."
Cultural Heritage Administration chief Heo Min said immediately after the inscription that it was "a deeply meaningful achievement that has further strengthened the value of our tidal flats in conserving biodiversity and enhanced the integrity of the heritage site."
Despite the expanded scope, some disappointment remains.
The Ganghwa tidal flats — a well-known breeding ground for the black-faced spoonbill and designated as a natural monument — along with other tidal flats in Incheon and Gyeonggi Province were not included this time.
Civic groups from Incheon, Busan and Hwaseong recently held a press conference outside BEXCO, calling for "a third-phase inscription that includes tidal flats in Busan, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province."
The World Heritage Committee's advisory body also issued a recommendation alongside its review findings, urging that additional tidal flats with "outstanding universal value" — the key criterion for World Heritage inscription — be analyzed in the future.
Heo said he hopes "this inscription will serve as an opportunity to further expand international cooperation for the conservation of the Yellow Sea ecosystem and the East Asian-Australasian Flyway."
South Korea now holds a total of 17 World Heritage properties.
The country's first inscriptions came in 1995 with Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple, Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon and Jongmyo Shrine; last year, the rock art of Bangudae was added to the list.
Next year, the historic fortress walls of Hanyang — built to defend the Joseon-era capital — will be put forward for World Heritage inscription. The nomination encompasses Hanyangdoseong, Bukhansanseong and Tangchundaeseong.
World Heritage properties are divided into cultural, natural and mixed heritage categories, and are designated by the World Heritage Committee following review by its advisory bodies, the International Council on Monuments and Sites and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
arete@heraldcorp.com
