Gochang Sanggeum-ri Dolmen Cluster Designated as 'Jeonbuk Province Monument'

[Gochang=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Jae-gil] Jeonbuk Gochang-gun (Governor Yu Gi-sang) announced on the 10th that the ‘Gochang Sanggeum-ri Dolmen Cluster (高敞 上金里 支石墓群)’ has been designated and officially announced as a Jeonbuk Province Monument following the review by the 8th Jeonbuk Province Cultural Heritage Committee.

The ‘Gochang Sanggeum-ri Dolmen Cluster’ was evaluated as an important resource for understanding Korea’s dolmen culture, including the construction methods and changes of dolmens, as well as regional characteristics.

The dolmen cluster is distributed in groups of about 218 dolmens across 9 clusters (‘Ga’ to ‘Ja’ clusters) within approximately a 2.7 km range along the Garitjae hill road from the entrance of Sanggeum-ri village in Daesan-myeon, Gochang-gun.

Among these, 87 dolmens in the ‘Na~Ra’ clusters, which have a high density and good preservation status, were prioritized for review and designation as a provincial monument.

The structural characteristics of the ‘Gochang Sanggeum-ri Dolmen Cluster’ include a very diverse variety of capstones (sangseok) and supporting stones (jiseok) in form and arrangement.

Centered on the checkerboard style (base style), various Korean dolmen types such as pillar-shaped supporting stones (柱形支石), above-ground stone coffin style (地上石槨式), open stone style (蓋石式), and surrounding stone style (圍石式) can be seen in one place. Additionally, supporting stones are not only placed as four under the capstone but also arranged centrally and on one side.

In particular, the pattern of dolmens distributed in a row along the Garitjae hill road is valuable data that can help restore the ancient route connecting the Bronze Age coastal and inland mountainous regions.

Quarry sites related to dolmen construction have also been identified around the dolmen cluster, allowing for the examination of the entire construction process including quarrying, transportation, and erection of dolmens, thus recognizing the site’s outstanding archaeological, historical, and academic value.

The ‘Gochang Sanggeum-ri Dolmen Cluster’ has the second largest number of dolmens made in various forms after the ‘Gochang Jukrim-ri Dolmen Cluster,’ which is a historic site and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Geographically, it is similar to the dolmen sites in Gochang and Hwasun, giving it sufficient value to be compared with the UNESCO World Heritage dolmens.

The ‘Gochang Sanggeum-ri Dolmen Cluster’ holds excellent value in understanding the nature and characteristics of Korean dolmens, including construction methods, changes, and locational features, due to its unique distribution along an ancient road and the very diverse forms confirmed.

Governor Yu Gi-sang said, “The designation of the ‘Gochang Sanggeum-ri Dolmen Cluster’ as a provincial monument this year is evidence that Gochang was the ‘first capital of the Korean Peninsula’ and a true dolmen kingdom. We will continue to prepare academic surveys and preservation management plans to advance to historic site status and UNESCO World Heritage registration.”

Meanwhile, since 2019, the county has been working to preserve and manage dolmens by surveying the status of dolmens throughout the county and installing dolmen signboards.

Gochang=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Kim Jae-gil gjg7070@asiae.co.kr

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