DMZ, Beyond a Symbol of Division, the Waist of the Korean Peninsula... A Treasure Trove of History

Cultural Heritage Administration Recovers Paleolithic Stone Tools at Daeseongdong Village in Paju
Eight Areas Designated as Archaeological Sites; "Additional Investigation Needed in Southern Hill Area"

Daeseong-dong Village Polished Stone Tools in Training Removed

The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is the waist of the Korean Peninsula. The occupying forces have effectively ruled as the actual owners. Various cultures flourished centered around agriculture and water transportation. This has been the case since the earliest humans, the Paleolithic people. Diverse behaviors and lifestyles took root and expanded their radius to Seoul, Yeoncheon, Gimpo, and beyond. Before being a symbol of division, it is a treasure trove of long history.

On the 26th of last month, the Cultural Heritage Administration began a survey of forty areas within the DMZ. This is part of the DMZ peace zone project agreed upon by South and North Korea in the April 27 Panmunjom Declaration. At the first target site, Daeseongdong Village in Paju, various artifacts including Paleolithic stone tools were recovered. Particularly, two chert stone tools from the southern hill area of the village were found. A Cultural Heritage Administration official stated, “They are presumed to be broken pieces of pointed tools and choppers (stone tools sharpened by flaking the edges of pebbles or angular stones).”

Daeseong-dong Village Panorama

Pointed tools were used for hunting or piercing organic materials. The ones discovered this time were made using flakes (stone fragments detached from a core). The edges on both sides of the stone tool axis were finely retouched to complete a symmetrical shape. The overall outline is diamond-shaped. A Cultural Heritage Administration official said, “They were found at the top of a high hill. Since many chert stones have been confirmed in this area, further investigation is necessary.”

Paleolithic flaked stone artifacts were also recovered during the 2004 joint North-South archaeological survey of cultural relics in the Kaesong Industrial Complex. The findings attracted attention from both North and South Korean archaeological communities, even being published with photos in the 2005 issue 2 of North Korea’s representative archaeological journal, Joseon Archaeological Research. A Cultural Heritage Administration official said, “Sacheon (沙川), which flows west of Daeseongdong Village, is a tributary of the Imjin River, and many Paleolithic sites have already been surveyed in this basin. If joint North-South investigations are conducted in Daeseongdong Village and Gijeongdong Village facing each other along Sacheon, greater results can be expected.”

Various excavated artifacts (roof tiles, bricks, celadon, white porcelain, etc.)

Meanwhile, the survey team judged that Taeseong (台城), an earthen fortress located west of Daeseongdong Village, has relatively well-preserved original form despite an octagonal pavilion built inside for visitors. It is presumed that there were gates on the east and west sides. Pottery and tile fragments from the Goryeo to Joseon periods, as well as earlier artifacts, were recovered from the west gate site and the outer perimeter. On the north side, a protruding part resembling a defensive structure called a chi (雉), which projects from the fortress wall, was confirmed. A Cultural Heritage Administration official explained, “Due to safety issues, access was difficult, so we used ground LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging, an advanced device that measures physical characteristics of objects using near-infrared laser) to investigate.”

The Cultural Heritage Administration designated eight areas around Daeseongdong Village as buried cultural heritage zones (areas recognized to contain buried cultural heritage based on discoveries or investigations). Artifacts from the Goryeo to Joseon periods are scattered on the exposed surface, and burial mounds are sporadically confirmed on the hills, indicating a large distribution of buried cultural heritage. The most notable area is the southern hill region of the village. Numerous artifacts from the Unified Silla to Joseon periods were confirmed, including Paleolithic relics, Ilhwimun (日暉文) roof tiles (flat tiles engraved with circular raised patterns), sanggam celadon fragments, bricks, and dragon head decorative pieces.

Daeseong-dong Village Panorama, Photo taken at the Village Hall

The recent survey also closely observed the landscape characteristics of Daeseongdong Village. This area is the only place south of the DMZ where residents are allowed to live under the armistice agreement. According to comprehensive development plans led by the government in 1972 and 1980, a landscape different from typical rural villages was created. Since Gijeongdong Village in North Korea lies across the river, the houses face west. Therefore, special emphasis was placed on western design. The housing arrangement with increased floors according to the east-high-west-low (Donggo-Seojeo) topography and the grid-style land division are also notable features.

This village also has a flagpole and a community hall (House of Freedom) that cannot be seen in other rural villages. The community hall is a brick building constructed in 1959. It is evaluated as an example of modernist architectural style, featuring design that utilizes material characteristics as sculptural elements and a spatial composition using a truss structure (a framework of steel or wood arranged in triangular patterns to support loads) measuring 12×16 meters.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.