Changdeokgung / 1997 / This site is an outstanding example of palace architecture and garden design, and strikes an exceptional harmony between the natural setting and the integration of man-made structures. All buildings were designed and constructed to integrate smoothly with the immediate surroundings, and even directions were given careful consideration in planning and building complex. Space was ingeniously utilized to provide distinctly different atmospheres throughout the palace grounds.The Rear Garden or Sacred Garden, in particular, has been estimated as one of the most beautiful gardens in the world. It served as the royal family¢®?s private garden for centuries, with the thoughtful placement of various garden buildings well situated to accentuate the natural splendor of the landscape. It now plays a significant role within the urban ecosystem in a contemporary metropolis of ten million people.Since the early 15th century, this palace complex has been well preserved despite the ravages of several foreign invasions and occupations. Recent rehabilitation works has recovered even more fully its authentic significance and ever-lasting beauty.     Seokguram Grotto / Bulguksa Temple / 1995 This cultural heritage is located within the Gyeongju, once was the capital of the Shilla Kingdom (57 B.C.-935 A.D.), and boasts the richest collection of cultural relics in Korea. The site is currently managed as part of the Gyeongju National Park. Seokguram Grotto is a masterpiece of Far Eastern Buddhist art, and the complex that it forms with the Pulguksa Temple (The Temple of Buddha Land) is an outstanding example of the religious architecture of the region and of the material expression of Buddhist belief. Established in the 8th century on the slopes of Mt. Toham, Seokguram Grotto enshrines a monumental statue of the Buddha gazing out at the sea in the bhumisparsha mudra position. With the surrounding portrayals of gods, Bodhisattvas and disciples, all realistically and delicately sculpted in high and low relief, it is considered a masterpiece of Buddhist art in the Far East.     Hawseong Fortress / 1997 This site is a fortified wall surrounding Hwaseong, a new town built on the outskirts of Seoul at the end of the 18th century. The precepts of an influential military architect of that period were applied in its construction, together with the latest developments in the field from both East and West. Six km of massive walls pierced by four gates and equipped with bastions, artillery towers and other features are still well preserved. It is evaluated as an outstanding example of early modern martial architecture, incorporating the most highly developed features of the era¢®?s military science and engineering. It cannot be paralleled elsewhere in the Far East (except in the Great Wall of China); since Hwaseong is unique in that it covers both flat and hilly land, thus making use of the terrain for maximum defensive efficacy. Furthermore, it is significant in terms of innovated construction techniques as well as advanced rational construction management by the governmental officials.     Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon / 1995 The Temple of Haeinsa, on Mt. Kaya, is home to the Tripitaka Koreana, the most complete collection of Buddhist texts in the world, engraved on 80,000 woodblocks between 1237 and 1248. The buildings of Janggyeong Pangeon, which date from the 15th century, were specially constructed to house the woodblocks that are also revered as exceptional works of art. As the oldest depository of the Tripitaka, they reveal an astonishing mastery of the highly inventive conservation techniques used to preserve these woodblocks. These are the only buildings in the world built for the sole purpose of storing the Tripitaka (Three Baskets) woodblocks and also comprise one of the largest wooden storage structures ever erected. These were built in a traditional wooden architectural style and are unparalleled not only for their beauty but also for their scientific layout, size, natural air conditioning and faithfulness to function.     Gyeongju Historic Areas / 2000 The Gyeongju Historic Areas contain a remarkable concentration of outstanding examples of Korean Buddhist art, in the form of sculptures, reliefs, pagodas, and the remains of temples and palaces from the flowering of this form of unique artistic expression, dating in particular from the 7th and 10th centuries. The Gyeongju Historic Areas are home to a number of sites and monuments of exceptional significance in the development of Buddhist and secular architecture in Korea. The Korean peninsula was ruled for nearly a thousand years by the Shilla dynasty, and the sites and monuments in and around Gyeongju (including the sacred mountain of Namsan) bear outstanding testimony to its cultural achievement. There are three major components (belts) that make up the Gyeongju Historic Areas; in addition, the nomination covers Hwangnyongsa Temple and the Sansong Fortress.     Jongmyo Shrine / 1995 Jongmyo is the oldest and most authentic of the Confucian royal shrines to be preserved. Dedicated to the forefathers of the Choson dynasty (1392-1910), the shrine has existed in its present form since the 16th century and houses tablets bearing the teachings of the former royal families. Jongmyo was located to the left of the main palace, Gyeongbok (I¨ªU¨ªIa), while Sajik (¨­aoA, Royal Shrine for State guardian deities) was built to the right, according to city planning tradition. It is extremely simple in terms of spatial composition as well as architectural structure, but the buildings and courts as a whole are both solemn and impressive. In addition, both the Jongmyo ritual (©£¢çOE) and ritual music (©£¢çOEaA) have been inscribed a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanities by UNESCO in 2001, not only for its historical importance but for the splendor of the music, dance and ceremony.     Gochang, Hwasun & Ganghwa Dolmen Sites / 2000 / C (iii) The prehistoric cemeteries at Gochang, Hwasun, and Ganghwa contain many hundreds of examples of dolmens, which are identified as tombs constructed of large stone slabs from the 1st millennium B.C. They form part of the Megalithic culture, discovered in many parts of the world, but nowhere else do they appear in such a concentrated form. The prehistoric technological and social phenomenon that resulted in the global appearance of large stone funerary and ritual monuments is nowhere else more vividly illustrated than in the dolmen cemeteries of Gochang, Hwasun, and Gangwha, which are scattered over the Korean Peninsula. These relics are of great archaeological value for the information about the prehistoric peoples who built them and their social and political systems, beliefs and rituals, arts and ceremonies, etc.