The North Korean side of Mount Paekdu is expected to be designated as a UNESCO Global Geopark next month.

According to UNESCO and academia on Sunday, UNESCO's executive board is set to hold a meeting from April 2 to 17 to review 16 sites for Global Geopark designation, including Mount Paekdu.

In its September and December sessions last year, the UNESCO Global Geopark Council selected 16 candidate sites and decided to propose that the executive board endorse these sites as Global Geoparks.

Mount Paekdu is almost certain to be listed as North Korea's first UNESCO Global Geopark, as the executive board typically endorses Geopark designations proposed by the council.

Last year, the Chinese side of the mountain was designated as a UNESCO Global Geopark under the Chinese name, Mount Changbaishan.