Overview

• The UNESCO World Heritage Committee formally added Mount Kumgang on July 13 as a combined natural and cultural site following ICOMOS and IUCN recommendations in late May.
• North Korean state media KCNA and Rodong Sinmun published the listing on July 16, praising the mountain’s 12,000 peaks, waterfalls and historic temple sites.
• Pyongyang’s 2021 nomination faced a COVID-19–related review pause before the dossier resumed evaluation earlier this year.
• ICOMOS and IUCN underscored Mount Kumgang’s biodiversity, unique rock formations and centuries-old Buddhist pilgrimage traditions as key to its outstanding universal value.
• Mount Kumgang joins the Complex of Koguryo Tombs (2004) and the Historic Monuments and Sites in Kaesong (2013) as North Korea’s third UNESCO World Heritage site.