Underwater Cultural Heritage Exploration in the Myeongnyang Battle Road Area

Use of EOS3D Equipment Developed with Purely Domestic Technology
"Great Help in Identifying Size, Condition, and Type of Underwater Artifacts"

Jindo Myeongnyang Battle Road Underwater Excavation Survey Area

An underwater cultural heritage survey will be conducted in the Myeongnyang Battle Road waters located in Gogun-myeon, Jindo-gun, Jeollanam-do.

The National Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage under the Cultural Heritage Administration and the Pohang Geological Resources Demonstration Research Center of the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources announced on the 11th that a joint 3D seabed seismic survey will be conducted from the 12th to the 18th. Seabed seismic survey is a process of transmitting sound waves underwater to understand the seabed geological structure. It analyzes the signal characteristics reflected from the boundary layers beneath the seabed surface.

Previous surveys used equipment developed for finding marine geological structures or ore deposits (광상, areas within the crust rich in useful elements or minerals), making it difficult to expect significant results. Strong currents and deep water limited diving investigations. Underwater cultural heritage is often buried in mud or sand.

Detailed View of EOS3D

This survey will use the EOS3D (Engineering Ocean Seismic 3D) equipment developed by the Pohang Geological Resources Demonstration Research Center. It is a 3D seabed geological structure and buried object imaging system designed for shallow coastal waters. A research institute official said, “It will be very helpful in identifying the size, condition, and types of underwater relics,” adding, “We plan to continue the survey until 2027.”

The Myeongnyang Battle Road waters are located about 4 km southeast of Uldolmok, where the Battle of Myeongnyang took place. It has long been known as a maritime shortcut with many ships passing through. The most notable area is Byeokpahang, where ships rested while waiting for the tide before passing Uldolmok. Since it was a site where the Sambyeolcho fought against the Mongols during the Goryeo Dynasty, new cultural heritage discoveries are anticipated.

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