Chinese part of Mount Paekdu makes Unesco list under Chinese name

The crater lake at the top of Mount Paekdu is shown in an image uploaded on Unesco's website on Thursday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The Chinese part of Mount Paekdu has been listed as a global geopark by Unesco under the name of “Mount Changbaishan,” according to the UN agency’s website Thursday.

The portion of the mountain was one of 18 additional sites endorsed by the Unesco Executive Board for addition to the Unesco Global Geoparks network on Thursday. The total number of global geoparks has now increased to 213 in 48 countries.

“Located in the southeast Jilin Province, Mount Changbaishan Unesco Global Geopark is like an open-air classroom for volcanism, with dramatic landforms and diverse rock types that document significant multiphase eruptions,” reads the introduction on Unesco’s website.

China applied back in 2020 for the inclusion of the Chinese part of Mount Paekdu on the geoparks list. One quarter of the mountain's area is North Korean territory, and the other three quarters are Chinese. However, 54.5 percent of the crater lake at the top of the mountain is in North Korean land.

Global geoparks are designated by Unesco to protect landmarks and landscapes with geological value and to promote sustainable development.

Although little issue can be found with China’s listing of its territory as a global geopark, there are concerns that the new Unesco designation could instigate more prevalent usage of “Mount Changbaishan” over "Mount Paekdu" in the international community.

“We understand that this certification by Unesco was decided in accordance with related procedures based on the geological protection value of Mount Paekdu,” said Seoul's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Lim Soo-suk, in a regular press briefing on Thursday. “We will continue to monitor efforts or changes related to the matter.”

South Korean ambassador to Unesco Bak Sang-mee said after the certification of “Mount Changbaishan” that Mount Paekdu “holds a very important meaning to Koreans” and that the South Korean government looks forward to the designation of the remaining unregistered parts of the mountain as global geoparks in the future.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]