Anchor: On Sunday, UNESCO recognized the construction techniques and cultural prowess of Namhansanseong as a world heritage site. With the addition of the mountain fortress, South Korea now holds eleven sites on the UNESCO list.
Our Kim In-kyung has more.
 
Report: The world recognized the historic value of Namhansanseong, an ancient mountain fortress on the southeastern outskirts of Seoul.
 
UNESCO's World Heritage Committee decided Sunday to give World Heritage status to Namhansanseong at its 38th session in Doha, Qatar.
 
UNESCO noted that Namhansanseong is a military heritage that displays urban planning techniques and military architecture of Northeast Asia.
 
The mountain fortress was also praised for taking advantage of its geographic position and being well preserved.
 
UNESCO also appreciated that the structure shows the different construction techniques of different times as it was developed over the centuries based on the ruins of a seventh-century castle.
 
The committee said that Namhansanseong “embodies a synthesis of the defensive military engineering concepts of the period, based on Chinese and Japanese influences and changes in the art of fortification following the introduction of gunpowder weapons.”
 
Namhansanseong is South Korea’s eleventh item on the World Heritage list, joining the ranks of the Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple and Changdeok Palace. Including sites in the North, the Korean Peninsula has a total of 14 sites on the list.
Kim In-kyung, KBS World Radio News.