Gyochon-ri Brick Tomb in Gongju Built Over 100 Years Before the Tomb of King Muryeong
by Lee Jonggil
Published 21 Apr.2026 09:00(KST)
National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage Announces OSL Dating Results
Constructed Before the Late 4th Century... Example Preceding Introduction of Southern Dynasties' Technology
The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage announced on April 21 that, through optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of bricks, it has discovered that the Gyochon-ri Brick Tomb (Gyochon-ri Tomb No. 3) in Gongju was constructed before the Tomb of King Muryeong. OSL dating is a technique that measures the age of minerals by analyzing signals emitted from quartz or feldspar when they are exposed to light.
The interior structure of the Gyochon-ri Brick Tomb is built with bricks to form a room-like chamber. This type of tomb, rarely found in Korea, includes the Tomb of King Muryeong in Gongju and Tomb No. 6 at the Royal Tombs site.
This tomb has been known since the Joseon Dynasty. In the "Sinjeung Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam," compiled in the 25th year of King Jungjong (1530), a record under the Gongju-mok section states, "There is a tomb to the west of the Confucian school, which is said to be the royal tomb of Baekje." During the Japanese colonial period in 1939, Ji-on Garube and Tadashi Saito investigated the site. In 2018, the Gongju National University Museum conducted an excavation, confirming the tomb’s structure and construction techniques.
The Gyochon-ri Brick Tomb was constructed using bricks fired at relatively low temperatures and without decorative patterns. Clay was used as mortar between the bricks. No artifacts or inscriptions that could provide a specific construction date have been discovered.
In contrast, the Tomb of King Muryeong and Tomb No. 6 at the Royal Tombs site are believed to have been influenced by the technology of the Southern Dynasties of China, as suggested by the inscriptions found on excavated bricks. Notably, inscriptions on the side of a brick from Tomb No. 6 at the Royal Tombs site have been interpreted as either "Yangguanwawisaeui" or "Yangseoniwisaeui." The character "Yang" refers to the Liang Dynasty of China (502-557).
Recently, an inscription interpreted as "Jochasigeonyeobin-ya," meaning "The person who made this is from Jiankang (Nanjing)," was identified on a sealing brick from Tomb No. 29, which was re-investigated by the National Buyeo Institute of Cultural Heritage. This suggests that artisans from the Southern Dynasties participated in the production of bricks and tomb construction at that time.
Similarly, the Tomb of King Muryeong is believed to have been constructed around the imjin year (512), which corresponds to the reign of King Muryeong (501-523), based on the inscription "~SaImjin-yeonjag" ("Made in the imjin year") found on a sealing brick. This has raised questions as to whether the Gyochon-ri Brick Tomb predates the Tomb of King Muryeong or was built later using Baekje technology.
According to the institute’s dating analysis, the bricks from the Gyochon-ri Brick Tomb were produced before the end of the 4th century. This indicates that the Gyochon-ri Brick Tomb predates the Tomb of King Muryeong by more than 100 years, and that the construction of room-like brick chamber tombs may have originated in this region during that period.
The institute will present the scientific analysis methods and interpretation of the dating results at the "2026 Spring Joint Conference on Geological Science and Technology," which will be held in Gangneung from April 21 to 24. An official stated, "We will continue to share the achievements of our precise dating research with the public."
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