In Korea, world heritage sites are also cultural properties and are protected by the domestic legal system. This study examined the process of establishing and regulating the buffer zones of world heritage sites in the cultural heritage protection legislation for 13 world heritage sites (50 component sites). The results showed that 1) the buffer zones of world heritage sites were most often coincident with the Historic and Cultural Environment Preservation Areas in the Cultural Heritage Protection Act, but in recent years, the Historic and Cultural Environment Preservation Areas and buffer zones have become increasingly inconsistent. 2) According to the Guidelines for Establishing Permissible Standards for Development Activities in Historic and Cultural Environment Preservation Areas, which regulate development activities in the buffer zone, the review criteria for landscape management have been elaborated, but there has been little change in terms of collecting residents' opinions. 3) The Permissible Standards promulgated for the Historic and Cultural Environment Preservation Areas of cultural properties listed as world heritage sites have diversified the scope of regulations, but they do not mention regulations that take into account the value of world heritage sites or the need for such regulations.