N. Korea's Mount Paektu to be designated as UNESCO Global Geopark

SEOUL, 3 March (BelTA - Yonhap) - The North Korean side of Mount Paektu, an active stratovolcano on the North Korean-Chinese border, is expected to be designated as a UNESCO Global Geopark next month, sources said Sunday.

UNESCO said its executive board is set to meet from April 2-17 to review 16 sites for Global Geopark designation, including Mount Paektu.

The session follows the UNESCO Global Geopark Council's proposal to endorse those sites as Global Geopark networks.

The executive board typically endorses Geopark designations as proposed by the council, making it almost certain that Mount Paektu will be listed as North Korea's first UNESCO Global Geopark.

UNESCO Global Geoparks are single, unified geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development, according to UNESCO.

Its executive board designated the Chinese side of the mountain as Mount Changbaishan UNESCO Global Geopark under its Chinese name last year.

North Korea sought the UNESCO listing for the mountain in 2019, a year before China, but China secured the designation first as an on-site inspection in North Korea was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The Geopark is marked by spectacular volcano-geological heritage and landscapes made up by volcanic eruptions," the UNESCO said of the mountain.

"The territory demonstrates well-developed glacial geography, with cirques made by glacial erosion and other topographical features such as moraine hills, moraine plains and outwash plains by glacial depositions," according to UNESCO.

It also said the mountain is regarded as a volcano with high potential for further eruptions.

In the coming session, the executive board is also expected to add South Korea's Danyang and Gyeongbuk Donghaean to its Global Geopark networks, bringing the country's total Geoparks designations to seven.