The government picked two sites for the UNESCO World Heritage List -- Confucian academies of the Chosun Dynasty, known as Seowon, and tidal flats along the southwest coast, the Cultural Heritage Administration said Sunday.

The Confucian academies were the place where for centuries Koreans prepared for the civil service examinations.

The CHA said that nine of the academies would be collectively submitted for listing as a cultural heritage site, and the tide flats as a natural heritage site.