'Sacred for millennia': How Korea's 'Petroglyphs' became a World Heritage site after 15 years
by Korea JoongAng Daily
″Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream″ in Daegok-ri, Eonyang in Ulsan [KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE]
Prehistoric rock carvings in Ulsan were added to Unesco’s World Heritage list on Saturday at the 47th session of the Unesco World Heritage Committee in Paris, becoming Korea’s 17th World Heritage site.
Fifteen years after “Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream” was tentatively designated a World Heritage site in 2010, the inscription is being celebrated across related agencies, academia and civil society.
“Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream” includes both the Bangudae Petroglyphs and Cheonjeon-ri Petroglyphs in Daegok-ri, Eonyang in Ulsan.
The Cheonjeon-ri Petroglyphs, discovered in 1970 and designated a National Treasure in 1973, contain more than 620 carvings of various shapes, texts and images across a rock face measuring approximately 2.7 meters (8.9 feet) in height and 10 meters in width.
The Bangudae Petroglyphs, discovered in 1971 and designated a National Treasure in 1995, include approximately 300 engravings of animals and humans, including depictions of whale hunting, on a rock surface along the stream in Ulsan that Unesco refers to as Bangucheon, roughly 4.5 meters tall and 8 meters wide. They are estimated to have been created between the late Neolithic and early Bronze Age, about 6,000 years ago.
The World Heritage Committee recognized the petroglyphs as a “masterpiece shaped by the creativity of prehistoric humans,” fulfilling two of the 10 criteria for World Heritage inscription: the first — to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius — and the third — to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or a civilization that is living or has disappeared.
″Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream″ in Daegok-ri, Eonyang in Ulsan [KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE]
Among Korea’s 17 World Heritage sites, only Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple, inscribed in 1995, had previously fulfilled the first criterion of creative masterpiece. Even compared with the 33 other rock art sites already on the list, including Italy’s “Rock Drawings in Val Camonica,” the evaluation of the Bangucheon petroglyphs stands out as exceptional.
“There are many petroglyphs around the world, but what makes Bangucheon unique is that it explains the livelihood environments of the East Asian coast — different from Europe or the Americas — and that it represents highly accomplished prehistoric art,” said Choi Hyeon-suk, director of the Ulsan Petroglyph Museum and a member of the Bangucheon World Heritage inscription team who attended the Paris meeting, in a phone call with the JoongAng Ilbo on Sunday. “We emphasized this in the inscription dossier, and we’re happy that those values were recognized.”
In fact, in the case of the Bangudae Petroglyphs, more than 50 whales are depicted, and at least seven of those can be distinguished by species, including humpbacks and gray whales.
“There are almost no cases where dozens of whales are depicted with such technical precision on a single rock face, and artistically, it’s of the highest level,” said Moon Myung-dae, professor emeritus of Buddhist Arts at Dongguk University and the first to discover the site.
The 15-year journey to inscription is also noteworthy. Though the Ulju petroglyphs, discovered in the early 1970s, initially attracted media attention, discussions around them remained largely confined to the fields of art history and archaeology.
Attendees, including Korea Heritage Service Administrator Choi Eung-Chon, at the 47th session of the Unewsco World Heritage Committee in Paris on July 12, clap as “Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream” is declared a World Heritage site. [MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]
Interest was revived when Ulsan became a metropolitan city in 1997 and began identifying cultural and tourist assets. With cooperation from the Cultural Heritage Administration, now the Korea Heritage Service, the site was added to Unesco’s tentative list in 2010.
The challenge, however, was that the site did not fully meet the requirements of “authenticity” and “integrity” needed for formal inscription.
Concerns about damage arose because the drawings were at risk of submersion whenever the Sayeon Dam, built downstream of the Daegok stream in 1965 — before the petroglyphs were discovered — raised its water level for flood control.
Although the completion of the Daegok Dam in 2005 reduced annual submersion days to within 90 days, Unesco maintained that a preservation and management system capable of maintaining the site’s original state was necessary. A dispute ensued between the Korea Heritage Service, the city of Ulsan and environmental groups over solutions to the submersion issue.
″Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream,″ in Daegok-ri, Eonyang in Ulsan, in 1971, when they were first discovered [JOONGANG ILBO]
In the meantime, other Korean sites — Namhansanseong in 2014, Sansa Buddhist Mountain Monasteries in 2018, Getbol, the Korean tidal flats in 2021 and the Gaya Tumuli in 2023 — were inscribed.
The Unesco World Heritage Committee evaluates only one inscription dossier per country per year, and countries that fail are barred from reapplying for five years. Related organizations in Korea complained that getting a nomination felt like “threading a needle,” akin to “qualifying for the national archery team.”
Eventually, the government decided to add floodgates to the Sayeon Dam by 2030. This plan was specified as the preservation measure in the formal application submitted early last year.
Based on that, the International Council on Monuments and Sites, an advisory body to Unesco, recommended inscription this May, effectively sealing the decision.
However, the World Heritage Committee strongly recommended that Korea report the progress of the Sayeon Dam project to the World Heritage Centre and notify the center of any major development projects that could affect the site’s outstanding universal value.
″Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream,″ in Daegok-ri, Eonyang in Ulsan on May 27 [YONHAP]
″Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream,″ in Daegok-ri, Eonyang in Ulsan [KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE]
“Prehistoric art relics are globally rare, and in the case of Bangucheon, the combination of terrestrial and marine hunting scenes gives it great unique value,” said Jeon Ho-tae, professor emeritus of historical culture at the University of Ulsan who has studied Korean petroglyphs and mural tombs for 40 years. “I hope the site, which has been regarded as sacred for millennia and retains traces from both the prehistoric and historical periods, will continue to be sustainably managed.”
“The long debate over preserving the petroglyphs, including the controversy over the Sayeon Dam, greatly elevated the level of discussion on heritage preservation,” said Hwang Sun-ik, professor of Korean history at Kookmin University. “It is also significant that Korea’s inscribed heritage now extends beyond tombs, temples and pavilions to include petroglyphs, broadening the historical narrative.”
Meanwhile, North Korea’s Mount Kumgang, which had already received a “recommendation for inscription,” was officially inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage site on Sunday, becoming North Korea’s third World Heritage site.
North Korea previously had two World Heritage sites — the Complex of Koguryo Tombs, inscribed in 2004, and the Historic Monuments and Sites in Kaesong, inscribed in 2013 — along with five elements on Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
Reference Written by KANG HYE-RAN [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr] Provided by Korea JoongAng Daily
※ Picks respects the rights of all copyright holders. If you do wish to make material edits, you will need to run them by the copyright holder for approval.
more from
KoreaJoongAngDaily
KoreaJoongAngDaily
UN warns millions will die by 2029 if U.S. funding for HIV programs isn't replaced
2025-07-15 00:00:00
KoreaJoongAngDaily
Wando beaches open with festivals, healing pools — and global eco-tourism honor
2025-07-13 00:00:00
KoreaJoongAngDaily
Lazy Koreans? Only 1 in 4 adults engage in strenuous activity, health data warns.
2025-07-12 00:00:00
KoreaJoongAngDaily
North Seongsu: Trendy but not trending (yet)
2025-07-12 00:00:00
BEST STORIES
The Conversation
Does eating cheese before bed really give you nightmares? Here’s what the science says
2025-07-12 00:00:00
KoreaJoongAngDaily
Wando beaches open with festivals, healing pools — and global eco-tourism honor
2025-07-13 00:00:00
Visit Dubai
Fabulous things to do in Dubai for free
2025-07-09 00:00:00
Inven Global
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang: A 10-Year Nintendo–NVIDIA Partnership “Completed with Switch 2”
2025-07-10 00:00:00
Environment
KoreaJoongAngDaily
Mercury expected to soar past 35 degrees Celsius in Seoul during upcoming week
2025-07-07 00:00:00
KoreaJoongAngDaily
Death toll from catastrophic flooding in Texas over the July Fourth weekend surpasses 100
2025-07-07 00:00:00
KoreaJoongAngDaily
Repellant lovebugs not yummy enough for birds and frogs to eat, experts warn
2025-07-04 00:00:00
KoreaJoongAngDaily
Repellant lovebugs not yummy enough for birds and frogs to eat, experts warn
