World's largest Dolmen-tomb massively damaged with poor management and repair

▲ This photo, provided by the Cultural Heritage Administration, shows the panoramic view of Jiseok Tombs in Gusan-dong, Gimhae. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ This photo, provided by the Cultural Heritage Administration, shows the Jiseok tomb in Gusan-dong, Gimhae, currently under construction. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ This photo, provided by the Cultural Heritage Administration, shows Jiseok tomb in Gusan-dong, Gimhae, currently under construction. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ This photo, shows the organized graphic for the construction. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, August 9 (Yonhap) – – Among the cultural heritages known so far, the dolmens in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, which is known to have the largest dolmens in Korea and the whole world, were embroiled in a controversy over poor repair and management.

According to the Cultural Heritage Administration, South Gyeongsang Province and Gimhae City on Tuesday, the excavation and investigation of the dolmens in Gusan-dong, Gimhae-si, which are currently Gyeongnam province monuments, were completed, and in the process of designating it as a national historic site, it has been revealed that the relics were seriously damaged by the cultural property repair and maintenance company commissioned by Gimhae city.

This dolmen, discovered during the housing site development process in 2006, is a tomb from the end of the Bronze Age, with its capstone estimated to weigh 350 ton. It was also revealed that a rectangular yard with a width of 1,615m² was built around it, and the floors were covered with wide stones.

However, in the process of maintenance and repair, it was revealed that the company recklessly exposed the layered stones without permission from the Cultural Heritage Administration, and destroyed the underground cultural layer that did not undergo any investigation regarding its excavation.

According to the Korean law, when any construction for a change of status for the cultural properties is carried out, a separate protection measure for cultural properties should be established prior to that, and an investigation has to be carried out in accordance with the instructions of the Cultural Heritage Administration.

Due to this maintenance work, this dolmen site was noticeably damaged. The flat stones were laid like an asphalt road around the dolmens, and many of the exposed original stones were cracked in the process of being moved with heavy equipment.

The Cultural Heritage Administration decided to immediately stop the construction and restore the ruins to their original state after conducting an on-site investigation.

Meanwhile, as the construction became controversial, the city of Gimhae withdrew its application for designating it as a historic site.



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