Seowon, referring to Korean neo-Confucian academies, were confirmed to be listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The World Heritage Centre (WHC) registered the Seowon during the 43rd UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan on July 6 this year.
Prior to this, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) recommended the Seowon to be registered on the World Heritage list on May 14.

As representative educational institutions of the Joseon Dynasty, the Seowon represented regional cultures of the era, and took advantage of its reformation and educational purpose by setting them as the two pillars.

The fact that the Seowon lead a social dissemination of neo-Confucianism got recognition for the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), which is essential for the registration of the World Heritage Site. Moreover, the base for regional culture and a place to canonize local sages played a crucial role in the Seowon’s World Heritage registration.

The nine academies in consideration are Sosu Seowon in Yeongju (the first Seowon constructed in Korea), Oksan Seowon in Gyeongju, Dosan Seowon in Andong, Byeongsan Seowon(also in Andong), Namgye Seowon in Hamyang (South Gyeongsang Province), Pilam Seowon in Jangseong (South Jeolla Province), Dodong Seowon in Daegu, Museong Seowon in Jeongup (North Jeolla Province), and Donam Seowon in Nonsan (South Chungcheong Province).