KNCU and Asiana Airlines take the lead in World Heritage conservation

The Korean National Commission for UNESCO and Asiana Airlines, the second largest Airline of Korea, are planning to jointly launch conservation activities for World Heritages both at home and abroad.

On 2 February 2012, Dr. Taecksoo Chun, Secretary General of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO (KNCU), and Mr. Young-Doo Yoon, President of Asiana Airlines, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for World Heritage conservation at the head office of Asiana Airlines in Seoul.

This MOU was created in order to raise the visibility and public awareness of World Heritage sites in developing countries. Developing countries in Asia have some difficulties in the conservation of World Heritage sites as their administrations lack efficient public relations networks to attract conservation funds from around world to make various World Heritage site conservation programs in their own countries.

KNCU has been bolstering its efforts to foster its relationships with the private sector in order to conserve World Heritage sites. Asiana Airlines has also sought ways to make contributions to developing countries. As a result, KNCU and Asiana Airlines have agreed to help developing countries in Asia to conserve World Heritege sites.

In the first half of 2012, KNCU and Aisiana Airlines will work together to distribute 12,000 leaflets that introduce World Heritage sites along with Asiana’s service schedule every month (in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese) as well as setting up information signboards for the Complex of Hué Monuments near Da Nang, Vietnam.

Dr. Chun stressed that it is significant for Asiana Airlines to take the first step in the private sector to expand Korea’s contribution to conservation and management of World Heritages and to raise awareness in developing countries. He also added that this is being promoted as a model for World Heritage cooperation for developed countries.

President Yoon of Asiana Airlines mentioned that World Heritage conservation is one of the most important social contribution activities that preserve universal human values of world cultures and natural heritages. He added that through this MOU, Asian Airlines is collaborating in order to publicize, home and abroad, World Heritages and to conserve them.

Asiana Airlines has been named the 2009 Airline of the Year by Air Transport World, and has also been given the 2010 Five Star Airlines Award by Skytrax and the 2011 Airline of the Year Award by Global Traveler Magazine. Asiana Airlines has also helped needy children in the world’s poorest countries as the company has donated coins given by their own passengers to UNICEF.