The petroglyphs of Bangucheon in Ulsan, which contain traces of prehistoric people who lived on the Korean Peninsula long ago, are expected to be registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
According to UNESCO and academic circles on the 26th, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) has recommended 'registration' for the petroglyphs of Bangucheon, which our government applied to be registered as a World Heritage site. The official name is 'Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream.'
Heritage sites that receive a recommendation for registration typically get registered by the World Heritage Committee unless there are unforeseen circumstances. ICOMOS, the advisory and review body for the World Heritage sector, investigates the heritage sites applied for by each country and selects one of four recommendations: 'register,' 'defer,' 'reject,' or 'not eligible' to transmit to the World Heritage Centre.
The petroglyphs of Bangucheon are regarded as the 'essence' of prehistoric culture on the Korean Peninsula, including national treasures 'Petroglyphs of Bangudae in Uljin' and 'Inscriptions and Petroglyphs of Cheonjeonri.' Petroglyphs refer to pictures etched or painted onto rock or cave walls, that is, rock paintings.
Discovered in 1971, the Bangudae petroglyphs are commonly referred to as the 'Bangudae petroglyphs.' They are located on a cliff along the Bangucheon, a tributary river of the Taehwa River, measuring about 4.5 meters in height and 8 meters in width (based on the main rock surface) with illustrations of marine animals, land animals, and hunting scenes intricately carved. They are especially well-known for being the oldest illustrations of whale hunting.
The Cheonjeonri inscriptions and petroglyphs are located about 2 kilometers away from the Bangudae petroglyphs. They were first identified a year before the discovery of the Bangudae petroglyphs in 1970, with a height of about 2.7 meters and a width of 9.8 meters. Over 620 designs, characters, and pictures are carved along the rock surface, including inscriptions believed to have been left during the reign of King Beopheung of Silla (reigned 514–540).
The Korea Heritage Service noted during its application for registration last year that it is a heritage "that encapsulates the aesthetic expressions and cultural changes of the people in the southeastern coastal areas of the Korean Peninsula from the Neolithic era to the Silla period," stating that "the various images and texts that continued for about 6,000 years are a unique evidence that confirms the petroglyph production tradition of the time."
However, the Bangudae petroglyphs have been subjected to flooding and exposure every year. When the water level of the Sayun Dam, located downstream from the Bangudae site, exceeds 53 meters, the petroglyphs will be submerged. Research has shown that over the past 10 years, the petroglyphs have been submerged for an average of 42 days each year. In 2021, the government held a National Policy Review Coordination Meeting chaired by the Prime Minister to discuss this issue, and currently, a plan to lower the water level by installing a sluice gate at the Sayun Dam has been initiated.
Meanwhile, Korea possesses a total of 16 World Heritage sites, starting with Seokguram and Bulguksa, Haeinsa Janggyeong Panjeon, and Jongmyo (in 1995) to the Gaya Ancient Tombs (in 2023). If the petroglyphs of Bangucheon are successfully registered as a World Heritage site, it will become the 17th World Heritage site. The registration status will be determined at the 47th World Heritage Committee meeting, which will be held in Paris, France, in July. The meeting is scheduled to take place from July 6 to July 16 (local time).