The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) approved Thursday the first World Heritage site of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The decision was made by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC) at a closed-door meeting at its ongoing 28th session, the UNESCO announced.

Capital cities and tombs of the ancient Koguryo Kingdom of China was also inscribed on the World Heritage List in a separate nomination on Thursday.

Ri Ui Ha, an official from the DPRK National Bureau for Cultural Property Conservation who is attending the meeting, said outside the meeting room that they were very glad to have its first site inscribed on the World Heritage List for the outstanding cultural value.

A similar nomination application from the DPRK was submitted to the WHC last year but deferred at that occasion for some "technical issues".

The Complex of Koguryo Tombs, the World Heritage cultural site, includes 63 individual graves, dating back to nearly 2,300 years ago.

Some royal tombs during the Koguryo Kingdom's reign embody vivid wall paintings, which offer a unique testimony to daily life of royal families of the aristocracy between the third century BC and the seventh century.

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the advisory body of the WHC for overseeing cultural sites worldwide, said in a report that the Koguryo burial customs have an important influence on other cultures in the region, including those in Japan.
 
(Xinhua News Agency July 2, 2004)