Nineteen Cultural Heritage Sites Damaged by Heavy Rain... Tree Falls and Fortress Wall Collapses

Natural Monument Seoul Munmyo Ginkgo Tree Branch Broken
Namyangju Yeongbinmyo Burial Mound Surface Collapsed and Royal Tomb Tree Damaged

Three Pine Trees Destroyed at Seooreung, Goyang

The Cultural Heritage Administration reported that nineteen nationally designated cultural properties in the central region were damaged due to heavy rainfall on the 8th and 9th. Trees were uprooted or had broken branches. Burial mounds and stone walls were significantly eroded, and parts of fortress walls collapsed. There were also incidents of hiking trail roads being washed away and parking lots flooded.

The natural monument damaged was a single ginkgo tree at Munmyo in Seoul, with broken branches. Most of the other damaged cultural properties are historic sites. The surface of the burial mound at Yeongbinmyo in Namyangju collapsed, and the natural drainage channel in front of the Hongssalmun gate at Onneung in Yangju was washed away.

Temporary Flooding of Parking Lot for Visitors at Samneung, Paju

At Heolleung and Inneung in Seoul, one pine tree and one alder tree fell, and parts of the natural drainage channels and stone walls were washed away. At Seolleung and Jeongneung in Seoul, two pine trees and one willow tree were damaged, and the parking lot was flooded. Soil from the slopes of the Seonneung royal tomb grassland and the entrance walkway to King Sejong’s tomb was also eroded.

At Samneung in Paju, the parking lot was temporarily flooded, and at Yeongneung and Yeongneung in Yeoju, two pine trees were toppled. At Taereung and Gangneung in Seoul, soil from the excavation site of the Taereung Jae-sil (ancestral shrine) was washed away, and at Osan Doksanseong Fortress and Sema site, the fortress wall between the south gate and the southeast corner collapsed. At the Seokchon-dong ancient tomb cluster in Seoul, one pine tree was uprooted, and at Seooreung in Goyang, three pine trees were damaged. Near the restroom on the walkway at Jangneung in Gimpo, a pine tree also fell.

Three Pine Trees at Jangneung in Gimpo Destroyed

The Cultural Heritage Administration is conducting restoration work while restricting access for visitors and nearby residents. An official stated, "We are assessing the restoration status and encouraging local governments to take prompt action, while accepting applications for emergency repair projects to prevent further damage and carry out urgent restoration." Currently, the budget available for emergency repairs of cultural properties is 1.886 billion KRW.