Mount Paektu In North Korea Will Be Designated As UNESCO Global Geopark

Heaven Lake at the top of Mount Paektu. (Wikimedia Commons/SSchlhmr)

JAKARTA - The North Korean side of Mount Paektu, an active stratovolcano on the North Korea-Chingkok border, is expected to be designated as UNESCO's Global Geopark next month, several sources said.

UNESCO said its executive board would meet from April 2-17 to review 16 locations for the determination of Global Geoparks, including Mount Paektu.

The trial followed the UNESCO Global Geopark Council's proposal to support these locations as a Global Geopark network.

"This geopark is marked by a spectacular geological legacy of volcanicity and landscapes formed by volcanic eruptions," UNESCO said, as reported by The Korea Times March 3.

"The area shows a well-developed glacial geography, with circles formed by glacial erosion and other topographic features such as moraine hills, ovaine plains and overflowed plains by glacial deposition," UNESCO added.

The executive board usually supports the determination of Geopark as proposed by the council, so that it is almost certain that Mount Paektu will be registered as the first UNESCO Global Geopark in North Korea.

The UNESCO Global Geopark is a single and integrated geographic area where locations and landscapes have international geological significance managed with the concept of holistic protection, education, and sustainable development, according to UNESCO.

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

Previously, North Korea submitted a request for registration of the mountain to UNESCO in 2019, a year before China. However, Beijing first secured the appointment because inspections at locations in North Korea were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is also said that the mountain is considered a high-potential volcano for further eruptions.

In the coming session, the executive board is also expected to add Danyang and Gyeongbuk Donghaean of South Korea to its global Geopark network, bringing the country's total geopark appointment to seven.