The Cultural Heritage Administration on Thursday announced it is to apply for the listing of the Gaya Tumuli as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Gaya Tumuli is a serial property consisting of seven different tumuli sites -- Gimhae Daeseong-dong Tumuli, Haman Marisan Tumuli, Hapcheon Okjeon Tumuli, Goryeong Jisan-dong Tumuli, Goseong Songhak-dong Tumuli, Changnyeong Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli and Namwon Yugok-ri and Durak-ri Tumuli -- located along the Nakdong River in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula.

According to CHA, the Gaya Tumuli is crucial archaeological evidence of Gaya Kingdom (42-562) culture. Some of the artifacts discovered at this site are also known to have come from abroad, showing that Gaya was involved in international trade at the time.

The agency said it plans to submit the application in January. If the agency applies for the listing as planned, the decision on the listing will be made in December 2022, after UNESCO reviews and evaluates the applicant’s outstanding universal value.

Meanwhile, the Cultural Heritage Administration in April applied for the listing of “Talchum, Mask Dance Drama in the Republic of Korea” for the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage. The decision on the listing of talchum will also be made in December 2022.

By Song Seung-hyun (ssh@heraldcorp.com)