On September 10th, Seosan City announced that it would mobilize all administrative resources to push for the inclusion of Garorim Bay’s tidal flats on the UNESCO World Natural Heritage list, in collaboration with Chungcheongnam-do Province. Previously, in 2021, UNESCO had designated the tidal flats of Seocheon, Goheung, Sinan, and the Boseong-Suncheon region as “The Tidal Flats of Korea” and included them on the World Natural Heritage list, excluding Garorim Bay. During the evaluation, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee highly recognized the value of Korea's tidal flats and recommended expanding the listing.

Garorim Bay tidal flats are part of the world's top five tidal flats in the southwestern coastal region of Korea. It has been confirmed as the country's first and largest marine protected area, home to species such as the spotted seal, white-legged mud crab, and zOSTERA MARINA. As an ecological space where nature, people, the sea, and life coexist, Garorim Bay is seen as a strong candidate for inclusion on the World Natural Heritage list.

World Heritage sites are designated and listed by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee to preserve areas with outstanding universal value on a global scale. Seosan City held a public briefing session for local residents last month to collect opinions and submitted a proposal to jointly work with the Chungcheongnam-do province to push for Garorim Bay’s inclusion in the World Natural Heritage list as part of the "Tidal Flats of Korea" project.

The Korean Heritage Service plans to submit the final application for the additional listing of Garorim Bay, along with tidal flats from Muan County, Goheung County, and Yeosu City in Jeollanam-do, to the World Heritage Committee next year. The final decision will be made in 2026.

Seosan City predicts that if Garorim Bay is designated a World Natural Heritage site, it will contribute to sustainable development of the region, including studies on tidal flat biodiversity and carbon capture related to climate change, as well as the creation of a tourism infrastructure.

Mayor Lee Wan-seop stated, "The push to have Garorim Bay tidal flats listed as a World Natural Heritage site is directly linked to the promotion of the National Marine Ecological Park and Seosan National Garden." He added, "Through this designation, we aim to make our city a globally recognized ecotourism destination."

Meanwhile, Garorim Bay, one of the world’s top five tidal flats, is considered one of the most important and meaningful habitats for global biodiversity conservation. It was designated as the country’s first marine protected area in 2016.

As a critical stopover for migratory birds, including endangered species, and a habitat for spotted seals, Garorim Bay holds high environmental value. It is the only place in Korea where spotted seals can be observed from land. The seals breed in the Liaodong Bay in China and stay in Garorim Bay and Baengnyeong Island from March to November. Every year, about 10 spotted seals are regularly spotted on the wide sandbanks in front of Oji-ri in Daesan-eup, Seosan City.