▲ The dinosaur footprint fossil site in Nangdo-ri, Yeosu, designated as a Natural Monument, is seen in this photo provided by the Korea Heritage Service (KHS). (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)(Yonhap)

BUSAN, July 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and Mongolia are preparing a joint bid to have their dinosaur fossil sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, combining South Korea's extensive dinosaur footprint sites with Mongolia's world-renowned dinosaur bone fossils.

Along South Korea's southern coast, dinosaur footprints have been discovered at numerous sites, including Uhang-ri in Haenam, Seoyuri in Hwasun, Sado, Chudo and Nangdo in Yeosu, and Deongmyeong-ri in Goseong.

The sites preserve a wide variety of footprints, ranging from forefoot and hindfoot impressions of different sizes to slender three-toed tracks and continuous trackways stretching more than 80 meters. They are traces left by dinosaurs that roamed the Korean Peninsula during the Cretaceous Period of the Mesozoic Era.

▲ The fossilized web-footed bird tracks, recorded as a globally recognized new species, is seen in this photo provided by the Korea Heritage Service (KHS). (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)(Yonhap)

Mongolia, by contrast, is best known for dinosaur skeletal fossils. The Gobi Desert, in particular, is one of East Asia's premier dinosaur fossil sites, where numerous new dinosaur species have been identified.

Among its most notable discoveries are Tarbosaurus, a carnivorous dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous Period, and Protoceratops, first unearthed in 1923 by an expedition from the American Museum of Natural History.

"What if the two countries joined forces through dinosaur fossils?" Korea Heritage Service Administrator Huh Min said.

"I proposed to the Mongolian side that South Korea's dinosaur footprint fossils and Mongolia's dinosaur bone fossils be jointly nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage site," Huh said during an interview with Yonhap News Agency at BEXCO in Busan on July 23, when the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee was under way.

"If the two countries work together, I believe we can achieve meaningful results," he said.

▲ National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage Director Lim Jong-deok (far R) explains the Tarbosaurus bataar fossil in 2017, in this Yonhap file photo. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)(Yonhap)

▲ The bones of the giant carnivorous dinosaur Tarbosaurus bataar, photographed in 2023 while being preserved and studied at the Natural Monument Center in Daejeon, is seen in this Yonhap file photo. (Yonhap)

The Korea Heritage Service has long sought World Heritage status for South Korea's dinosaur footprint fossil sites.

Its predecessor, the Cultural Heritage Administration, placed the "Dinosaur Fossil Sites Along the Southern Coast" on UNESCO's tentative list in 2002 and submitted a formal nomination in 2008.

However, the application was withdrawn after the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), UNESCO's official advisory body for natural heritage, recommended against inscription in 2009. The sites remain on UNESCO's tentative list.

According to officials, Huh presented the idea of a joint World Heritage nomination during the recent state visit of President Lee Jae Myung to Mongolia, where he signed a memorandum of understanding with the Mongolian Academy of Sciences (MAS).

Founded in 1921, the Mongolian Academy of Sciences is the country's leading government research institution in science. It oversees 16 affiliated institutes, including the Institute of Paleontology, which is internationally recognized for dinosaur research.

To accelerate joint research and cooperation, the Korea Heritage Service invited MAS President Demberel Sodnomsambuu to South Korea about two weeks after the memorandum was signed.

Meeting in Busan on July 23, Huh and Sodnomsambuu expressed their commitment to expanding bilateral cooperation.

"We will be able to conduct a wide range of surveys and research encompassing both cultural and natural heritage, centered on the Gobi Desert," Huh said. "This cooperation will mark a new beginning."

▲ Korea Heritage Service Administrator Huh Min (R) poses for a commemorative photo with Demberel Sodnomsambuu, president of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, at BEXCO in Busan on July 23, 2026, in this photo provided by the Korea Heritage Service (KHS). (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)(Yonhap)

▲ Demberel Sodnomsambuu (R), president of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, smiles as he greets Korea Heritage Service Administrator Huh Min at BEXCO in Busan on July 23, 2026, in this photo provided by the Korea Heritage Service (KHS). (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)(Yonhap)

Sodnomsambuu said the memorandum itself was less important than the work that follows.

"More important than signing the memorandum is the journey ahead," he said. "Let us join forces in research, field surveys and joint exhibitions centered on dinosaur fossils."

The Korea Heritage Service plans to conduct field investigations in the Gobi Desert, one of the world's richest repositories of dinosaur fossils.

The two sides will also cooperate on the conservation and restoration of 11 fossils, including the bones of Tarbosaurus bataar, which South Korea returned to Mongolia in 2017 after confirming they had been illegally imported.

The fossils will also be digitally documented using three-dimensional scanning technology, and joint exhibitions are planned at the Natural Heritage Center in Daejeon and the National Natural Heritage Center in Busan.

Lim Jong-deok, head of the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage and a specialist in dinosaur fossils, said the fossils from the two countries date to the Cretaceous Period of the Mesozoic Era.

"Research will examine where the 11 fossils originated, along with many other scientific questions," Lim said.

The Korea Heritage Service and the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage also plan to expand cooperation into research on ancient human history.

Beginning in 2027, the institute and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences will jointly analyze genomic data from ancient human populations in South Korea and Mongolia to shed light on their history, environment and biological characteristics.

Sodnomsambuu also requested that South Korea promptly designate officials responsible for future joint projects, saying he hoped to build on the two countries' previous cooperation and broaden it further.

An official at the Korea Heritage Service said the initiative represents the first concrete follow-up measure taken after the summit between the South Korean and Mongolian leaders.

"We will pursue cooperative projects encompassing the Mongolian Academy of Sciences and its affiliated research institutes," the official said.

▲ Korea Heritage Service (KHS) Administrator Huh Min (6th from L) and Demberel Sodnomsambuu (5th from L), president of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, pose for a commemorative photo after discussing follow-up projects to a memorandum of understanding on joint research into cultural and natural heritage, signed during the South Korea-Mongolia summit on July 9, at BEXCO in Busan on July 23, 2026, in this photo provided by the KHS.

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