Excavated Gusan-dong Dolmen in Cultural Layer, Excavation Survey Seems Inevitable

Partial Erosion Around Sangseok, Most of Reservoir and Pipeline Site Destroyed
Excavation Needed to Accurately Determine Extent of Landform Changes

The Gusan-dong dolmen in Gimhae was discovered in 2006 during a residential district development project. The burial site’s paving stone facilities and a massive capstone were confirmed. It is preserved underground by covering it with about 5 meters of soil. Scholars consider it the largest dolmen in the world. The burial site facility covers an area of 1615㎡. The weight of the capstone is estimated to be 350 tons.

Gimhae City, which has been pushing for historic site designation, selected a cultural heritage restoration specialist company as the contractor and began maintenance work in December 2020. However, a major accident occurred that drastically diminished the cultural heritage value. During the maintenance process, some of the cultural layers around the capstone (strata indicating specific cultural aspects of an era) were lost. Most of the cultural layers within the maintenance project site were destroyed due to excavation for the installation and burial of a reservoir, pipelines, and boundary walls.

According to the survey conducted by the National Gaya Cultural Heritage Research Institute on the status of the Gusan-dong dolmen on the 11th, changes in topography (the shape and nature of objects) were confirmed throughout the burial site. This means that there were activities such as 'cutting' to level the ground by excavation and 'embankment' by piling soil on the ground. The institute stated, "At least about 20 cm, and in severe cases, a significant portion of the cultural layer was destroyed during the excavation process," adding, "Cultural layers remain up to 20 meters south of the capstone, but beyond that, they have been lost."

In fact, the eastern wall part of the reservoir is deeply excavated. Construction equipment is scattered in various places. The southern part of the reservoir and the boundary wall area are no different. The institute explained, "It is understood that the burial site and the underlying cultural layers were excavated and destroyed before installing the reservoir and pipelines," and added, "The height of the cultural layers around the capstone, including the southern cultural layers, differs by about 30 cm, requiring further review."

An excavation survey is inevitable to accurately determine the extent of topographical changes and the remaining cultural layer areas. The institute said, "An investigation is required for the burial site included in the restoration maintenance area and the adjacent areas (regions connected and adjoining each other)." The Cultural Heritage Administration will soon meet with officials from Gyeongnam Province and Gimhae City to devise countermeasures. A Cultural Heritage Administration official stated, "We plan to investigate the exact situation and discuss how to restore the damaged areas."

Meanwhile, on the 18th, the Cultural Heritage Administration filed a complaint with the Gimhae Jungbu Police Station against Mayor Hong Tae-yong of Gimhae City for violating the 'Act on the Protection and Investigation of Buried Cultural Heritage.' Mayor Hong is the implementing entity of the dolmen restoration project. However, the restoration project was initiated during the tenure of former Mayor Heo Seong-gon. Mayor Hong took office on July 1 and is not directly related. Nevertheless, he held a press conference on the 11th and apologized, saying, "I paid little attention to the cultural heritage restoration procedures and was ignorant." The police plan to receive additional photos and documents, review the complaint details, and investigate current and former Gimhae City Hall employees responsible for the restoration project.