[Summary] "Thought it was a hill"... A person in their 20s climbed a 1,400-year-old Silla royal tomb, reported to police

4~6세기 걸쳐 조성된 신라 왕족·귀족 집단묘역>
SUV Access to Jjoksaem Site Tombs in Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk
Collective Burial Site of Silla Royalty and Nobles from 4th to 6th Century

An SUV parked on the ancient tomb in Jjoksaem District, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongbuk, on the afternoon of the 15th. / Photo by Internet Community Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The city of Gyeongju in Gyeongbuk has filed a complaint with the police against a man in his 20s who drove a sports utility vehicle (SUV) to the top of the 79th tomb at the Jjoksaem archaeological site.

Mr. A is accused of driving his SUV to the top of the 79th tomb, a burial mound located in Hwangnam-dong, Gyeongju, at around 1:30 p.m. on the 15th.

The burial mound, which is about 3 meters high, was reportedly surrounded by a safety fence. However, Mr. A is said to have driven through a gap in the fence to enter the site.

Mr. A briefly parked his vehicle at the top of the mound before moving it to another location. A local resident near the mound spotted the vehicle and reported it to the police, but Mr. A had already left the scene, so authorities were unable to detain him immediately.

Later, Gyeongju city officials checked the vehicle’s license plate from the photos and identified Mr. A’s identity within three days.

During the city’s investigation, Mr. A stated, "I went to Gyeongju for a trip and saw a small hill, so I drove up without thinking. I didn’t know it was a burial mound."

The incident became a hot topic on social networking services (SNS) and online communities after photos were posted on the 17th.

Some of the tumuli in the Joksam district of Gyeongju during the trial excavation in 2009. / Photo by Yonhap News

Netizens who saw the photos strongly criticized Mr. A, saying things like, "How can someone be so thoughtless to do that on a cultural heritage site?", "This cannot be overlooked," and "He should be punished."

The 79th tomb at the Jjoksaem archaeological site, where the SUV was driven, is a collective burial ground for Silla royalty and nobles from the 4th to 6th centuries during the Three Kingdoms period. It was named 'Jjoksaem Archaeological District' because the spring water there is clear and has a blue tint.

Excavations began in this district in 2007, and important cultural artifacts such as pottery engraved with the 'Silla Dynasty Procession' attracted academic attention.

Meanwhile, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced on the 18th that it plans to file charges against the SUV owner for violating the Cultural Heritage Protection Act.

In a statement released that day, the Cultural Heritage Administration said, "Based on the photo of the vehicle parked on the burial mound in the Gyeongju Jjoksaem district, which caused controversy on SNS and some media reports, we confirmed tire tracks from the slope to the top of the mound on the 16th, the day after the incident. We are identifying the vehicle owner and preparing to file charges against the involved party."

According to Article 101 of the current Cultural Heritage Protection Act, acts that damage cultural heritage can be punished by up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won.

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