The ROK’s Four Traditional Agricultural and Fisheries Heritage Systems Have Officially Been Certified as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS)

Sejong, 5 November 2025 — On 2 November 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) announced that the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) certificates were awarded to the four traditional agricultural and fisheries heritage systems of the Republic of Korea (ROK)—(a) the Jeju Haenyeo (female divers) Fisheries System, (b) the Sonteul (hand net) Fishery System for Gathering Marsh Clams in Seomjingang River in Hadong-gun and Gwangyang-si, (c) the Traditional Jukbangnyeom Fishery System in Jijok Straits in Namhae-gun, and (d) the Pinetree Agroforestry System in Uljin—at the 2025 GIAHS Certificate Award Ceremony held at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in Rome of the Italian Republic on 31 October.

The GIAHS initiative was launched in 2002 by the FAO to identify, safeguard, and preserve traditional agricultural and fisheries systems and biodiversity, as well as to support a sustainable use of such systems.

Currently, 102 agricultural and fisheries heritage systems from 29 countries have been designated as the GIAHS. With the new certification granted to the four systems, the Republic of Korea now holds a total of nine systems certified as the GIAHS, including 6 agricultural and 3 fisheries heritage systems. Thus, the Republic of Korea has become a country having the third largest number of GIAHS designations globally.

In addition, the Republic of Korea permanently donated and exhibited a statue of the Jeju Haenyeo, which symbolizes the spirit of Jeju’s female divers, at the FAO Museum, which opened on 16 October. This statue is of great significance as it not only informs the international community about the value of traditional female diving fisheries, but also serves as an example of the ROK-FAO cooperation linked to the activities of preservation of globally important agricultural heritage.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said: “We will continue to closely cooperate with local governments and the FAO Secretariat to ensure that additional Korean heritage systems—such as the Tidal Flat Sun-dried Salt Farming System in Sinan-gun and Buan-gun, the Cornelian Cherry Farming System in Gurye-gun, and the Traditional Irrigation System for Farming in Uiseong-gun—can be designated as the GIAHS. This way, we will further expand global recognition of the value of Korean agricultural and fisheries heritage.”