President Lee Jae Myung called for thorough preparations for South Korea’s first hosting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, saying the summit should serve as a showcase of the country’s cultural clout and global leadership.

The remarks were made by Lee as chair of a preparatory meeting held on Wednesday in Busan for the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee that will convene from July 19 to 29.

It is the first time that the world’s largest international conference on world heritage is being held in South Korea since it became a member of the World Heritage Convention in 1988.

Lee put emphasis on the fact that “the Chairmanship of the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee will be a critical moment to represent South Korea’s world-class cultural capabilities and global leadership on the international stage.”

During the Korean War, Busan was a wartime provisional capital; Busan became a hub for international assistance during the war, and currently it is rising to become a global maritime city, he said.

“If there is anywhere else in the world to share the success of the Republic of Korea and its story of leap-forward development, I believe that this is the best place to do so,” Lee continued.

He urged “meticulous and carefully coordinated preparations” to make the event a success.

Meeting attendees included Korea Heritage Service Administrator Huh Min; ministers from the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries; and vice ministers from the Justice Ministry, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

Lee also emphasised the need to ensure that the international conference would be “safe and comfortable” and that it would be “thoroughly prepared” in transportation, accommodation, public safety, and other aspects, to ensure that the delegates and experts from 196 nations would not be inconvenienced anywhere.

The president also emphasised the importance of cooperation between related ministries and agencies and expressed the desire for regular communication, while establishing an on-site response mechanism to deal with any unforeseen situations quickly.

He urged the authorities to take measures to revitalise the economy of the region by holding the meeting of the committee.

Lee said he hopes to plan ahead to organise attractive cultural events and accompany them with linked tourism packages so that the Busan vicinity is packed with foreign tourists during this opportunity.

He requested that you give all possible efforts to the rest of the necessary preparations with great responsibility, knowing that the prestige of the Republic of Korea is at stake in hosting this committee session.