Gimhae City Promotes World’s Largest Dolmen for National Historic Site Designation

Application for Designation in June After Additional Excavation and Maintenance Projects
Enhancing Cultural Heritage Value to Utilize as Local Tourism Resource

Dolmen in Gusan-dong, Jinju-si, Gyeongnam. (Photo by Gimhae-si)

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Lee Sang-hyun] Gimhae City in Gyeongnam announced on the 4th that it is promoting the elevation of the Gusan-dong Dolmen, the largest in the world, to a national historic site.

The city plans to submit an application for national historic site designation to the Cultural Heritage Administration around June, following additional excavation and maintenance work on the burial chamber that was not confirmed during the 2007 excavation.

In addition, maintenance work will be carried out to expose the capstone and burial area buried underground, creating a historic park covering 4,660㎡ around the site where the dolmen is located.

The dolmen, more commonly known to us as a goindol, is a representative tomb type of the Bronze Age.

The Gusan-dong Dolmen, measuring 10 meters in length, 4.5 meters in width, 3.5 meters in height, and weighing 350 tons, is the largest dolmen in Korea and was discovered during construction in the Gusan-dong housing development district in 2007. The city estimates it to be the largest in the world, as there are no known cases of dolmens of this size globally.

A city official stated, “The Gusan-dong Dolmen has great cultural value and historical symbolism and is adjacent to a residential area. Through excavation surveys and restoration of the dolmen’s original form, we will develop the area into a historic park where history, culture, and relaxation coexist.”

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