ANCIENT RELIC DISCLOSED TO THE PUBLIC

[Anchor Lead]

An ancient relic representing the gold foil craft of the Unified Silla Kingdom of 1300 years ago has been disclosed to the public. The 3 cm piece of gold foil is decorated with delicate engravings of flowers and birds using lines thinner than a hair.

[Pkg]

Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond, the heritage of the Unified Silla Kingdom. Six years ago, two severely crumpled gold foil pieces were discovered here. They were found about 20 meters apart, but it's been confirmed that they used to be one relic. The artifact measures 3.6 cm long and 1.17 cm wide. Inside there are delicate patterns that are hardly visible to the naked eye. A look through a microscope shows a spellbinding ensemble of golden lines. They portray two birds surrounded by blooming flowers and looking at each other. The details are so exquisite that it's even possible to find out what kind of birds they are.

[Soundbite] Kim Kyung-yeol(Gyeongju Nat’l Research Institute of Cultural Heritage) : "Judging from the birds' protruding foreheads and wide beaks, they are rufous turtle doves."

The lines are just 0.05 mm thick, that's even thinner than a strand of hair. It's the most microscopic metal craft relic found in Korea to date.

[Soundbite] Kim Yong-un(Sculptor, Nat’l Intangible Cultural Asset) : "I think this piece is impossible to recreate by modern-day artisans. It was close to impossible."

The relic is believed to date back to the 8th century, but with no other similar relics found so far, it's unknown what it was used for.

[Soundbite] Eo Chang-seon(Gyeongju Nat’l Research Institute of Cultural Heritage) : "The discovered relic was found at the site of Donggung Palace, a royal palace of the Silla Kingdom, where items used in everyday life are mostly discovered. It's the most delicate relic found thus far."

This rare artifact carved using fascinating techniques are difficult to reenact even with modern-day technology. It will be put on public display.