Man Practices Golf at Gyeongju Royal Tomb... Foreign Tourist 'Shocked'

A foreign tourist takes a photo...
City authorities working to confirm identity

The city authorities have launched an investigation after a foreign tourist captured a man practicing golf near the Naemul King Tomb, a representative cultural heritage site in Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk.

According to Gyeongju City and other sources on June 25, a foreign tourist identified as A witnessed a man swinging a golf club on the lawn in front of the Naemul King Tomb on the afternoon of June 19 and took a photograph of the scene.

A man is practicing golf near the Naemul King Tomb in Gyodong, Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk. JTBC News

The photo taken by A shows a man dressed in black pants and a white top holding a long stick and posing in a swing stance, which looks very much like he is practicing golf. Upon seeing this, A asked his Korean friend B, "Can you really play golf even at royal tombs in Korea?" B was shocked and replied, "That's unthinkable." After hearing about the incident, B's mother filed a complaint with Gyeongju City Hall the following day, prompting the city to immediately launch an investigation.

The city stated that there are no security cameras installed in the area, making it difficult to identify the man. A city official said, "If the identity of the person who played golf is confirmed, we will apply the 'obstruction of management activities' provision under the Act on the Preservation and Utilization of Cultural Heritage." The official added, "Currently, nine people are patrolling more than 290 historic sites. We will strengthen patrols in light of this incident."

Meanwhile, the Naemul King Tomb is the burial site of Naemul, the 17th king of Silla, and was designated as Historic Site No. 188 in 1975. Located in the center of Gyeongju, it is a popular tourist destination for both domestic and international visitors.

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