Koguryo tombs in China.

The selection committee also agreed to put the Complex of the Koguryo Tombs which is inside the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on the heritage list. The Koguryo Kingdom once expanded to the Korean Peninsula.

To better protect the vanished civilization, the committee recommended future co-operation between China and the DPRK. In response, Cultural Minister Sun Jiazheng said: "The Chinese Government encourages domestic archaeologists and scholars to undertake all possible co-operation with their peers in the DPRK."

Army General’s Tomb.

Li Xinquan, deputy head of Liaoning’s provincial archaeological institution, said yesterday that he was "one of the happiest archaeologists in the world." Having spent nine years researching the city of Wunu Mountain, the oldest of the capital cities from the ancient Koguryo Kingdom, the researcher said he was fortunate to be able to witness the area’s listing.

(China Daily, July 2)