▲ Photo Courtesy : Jeju Special Self-governing Province

It was announced on Sept. 22 at the 6th International Conference on Global Geoparks in Canada that Jeju had succeeded in being retained as a Global Geopark Network (GGN) site.

To retain its UNESCO triple crown (GGN is affiliated with UNESCO) Jeju was evaluated and submitted assessment reports to the reauthorization advisory committee. Part of the island’s success was down to the expansion of local Geopark sites from 9 to 12 alongside improvement in local infrastructure.

The assessment took place during a visit to the island between Aug. 3 and 5 as Guy Martini (France) and He Qingcheng (China) announced they were impressed with the activities of local residents and recommended the issuing of a green card.

The Global Geopark Committee issues green cards if a Geopark is maintained well with yellow cards given for poor performers. If there are no changes two years after the issuance of a yellow card Global Geopark status can be removed.