SECRET BEHIND ROYAL TOMBS

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The royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty are a UNESCO world heritage, and a large amount of stones was used in creating these tombs. The mystery surrounding where the stones came from may be about to unravel. The specific location of a quarry has been confirmed in the Suyudong area in Seoul.

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​This tomb sitting on a low hill in Namyangju, Gyeonggido Province... belongs to Queen Jeongsun, the wife of Joseon Dynasty's sixth king Danjong. Standing near the tomb is a stone-carved sheep acting as a guardian and another sculpture in human form, which symbolizes obedience to the king's command at all times. Many stone sculptures surround the royal tomb. The stones used to build the tomb were brought from the Gucheon Valley area in the Suyu-dong neighborhood of Seoul. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has for the first time confirmed the location of the quarry connected to the Joseon royal tomb construction, based on the findings of a survey conducted by a private organization.

[Soundbite] CHUNG BUT-SAEM(SEOUL CITY CURATOR) : "The revelation was the result of an extensive survey conducted by the Korea Alpen Book Club. Seoul City is the first to unveil the location of the stone quarry."

Markings were found around the quarry indicating a ban on entering the area which apparently was to prevent citizens from mining rocks there that were to be used for royal tombs. Another of the discovered rocks was carved with the names of the people who took part in the tomb's construction. Engineers and four officials are believed to have taken part in the mining work.

[Soundbite] PROF. CHUNG HAI-DEUK(HANSHIN UNIV., SEOUL CITY CULTURAL ASSET COMMITTEE) : "It's a remarkable discovery in the research of Joseon royal tombs as the discovered records indicate when and why the stones were used."

Seoul City has designated the Gucheon Valley area in Bukhansan Mountain as municipal monument No. 44 and also plans to host an academic forum for more in-depth research.