China split as Seoul seeks UNESCO status for Confucian schools

The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) of South Korea on Monday announced that a group of nine ancient private Confucian academies would again apply for UNESCO World Heritage status next January, a move which has triggered heated discussion on Chinese social networks.

According to Yonhap, CHA's cultural assets committee selected academies set up during the Confucianism-dominated Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) to be considered for a UNESCO Heritage listing despite an unsuccessful application in 2015.

The UNESCO International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) rejected the previous application because the academies -- known as Seowon in Korean -- failed to show features distinctive to their Chinese and Japanese counterparts and had surroundings not included in cultural asset zones.

In re-applying for Seowon to be listed as a world heritage applicant, CHA said it has fully adopted ICOMOS's recommendations for registration.

The news prompted thousands of Chinese netizens to express their views on social media platform Weibo. Many argued that the CHA's action was akin to stealing.

"It should be only China, the origin of Confucianism, that is allowed to seek a UNESCO heritage status. South Korea is just copying! They are not qualified to compete with China on this!" user @wangjiaodian commented.

Others contended that it's understandable for South Korea to have a similar legacy to China, as both are within the East Asian cultural circle.

"Korean culture is deeply influenced by China. Chinese culture is open and inclusive. This is no big deal. Instead, it can be a way of promoting Chinese culture internationally," user @yonghu5878307761 said.

Another group wondered why China hasn't sought UNESCO heritage status for the country's Confucian academies.

"I'm not angry with South Korea. I wonder if we can pay attention to it earlier," user @tantanqidong commented.

An answer to that question can be found in a 2014 interview, in which a Ministry of Culture official said careful consideration was given to prioritizing projects for a UNESCO heritage listing. "We have a large number of heritages that represent human civilization, and there are some important projects on the waiting list."

Currently, 12 sites in South Korea have been designated as world heritage while China has 52 world heritage sites, topping the list along with Italy.

A final decision on the application is likely to be made at an ICOMOS meeting in 2019.