Prehistoric Rock Paintings National Treasure... Ulju Cheonjeon-ri 'Gakseok' to be Renamed 'Petroglyph'

‘Ulju Cheonjeon-ri Petroglyphs’ Name Change Seminar

Enhancing Public Understanding of Cultural Heritage

A plan is underway to rename the national treasure "Ulju Cheonjeon-ri Gakseok," which preserves prehistoric rock carvings, to "Ulju Cheonjeon-ri Petroglyphs."

Ulsan City announced on the 7th that it will hold an academic seminar on the topic of "Renaming Ulju Cheonjeon-ri Gakseok" at 2 p.m. on the 11th in the Citizens' Hall on the first floor of the City Council.

This seminar was organized to gather opinions from experts and citizens regarding changing the name of Ulju Cheonjeon-ri Gakseok to "Ulju Cheonjeon-ri Petroglyphs."

The seminar will proceed in the order of opening, keynote presentations, and comprehensive discussions, attended by about 100 experts and citizens, including Kang Bong-won, chairman of the Cultural Heritage Committee of the Cultural Heritage Administration, and Han Sam-geon, director of the Ulsan History Research Institute.

For the keynote presentations, Kang Bong-won, chairman of the Cultural Heritage Committee of the Cultural Heritage Administration, will serve as the chairperson. Lee Sang-mok, former director of the Ulsan Museum, will present on "The Current Status of Ulju Cheonjeon-ri Gakseok and Cases of Petroglyph Naming," and Na Myung-ha, former head of the Royal Palaces and Tombs Headquarters of the Cultural Heritage Administration, will present on "Methods of Naming Nationally Designated Cultural Properties."

In the comprehensive discussion, former Busan Bokcheon Museum director Ha In-su, Keimyung University professor Kim Kwon-gu, Seoul National University professor Kim Jong-il, and Han Sam-geon, director of the Ulsan History Research Institute, are scheduled to participate as panelists.

Citizens who wish to attend the discussion can do so on-site without a separate application.

Cheonjeon-ri Rock Carvings, Dudong-myeon, Ulju-gun, Ulsan.

Ulju Cheonjeon-ri Gakseok was discovered in December 1970 by an academic survey team from Dongguk University Museum and was designated as a national treasure on May 4, 1973.

In academic circles, there has been an opinion that it is appropriate to change the name of Ulju Cheonjeon-ri Gakseok to the more comprehensive and universally used term "petroglyphs," as it contains various rock carvings from the prehistoric era to the Three Kingdoms period, in addition to Silla-era inscriptions.

Experts and committees have also recommended that the names for the Daegok-ri Bangudae Petroglyphs and Cheonjeon-ri Gakseok, which Ulsan City is promoting for World Heritage registration, be unified under the name "Banggucheon Petroglyphs" to recognize the two sites as a single heritage.

Following the original approval by the city’s Cultural Heritage Committee in June to rename "Cheonjeon-ri Gakseok" to "Cheonjeon-ri Petroglyphs," Ulsan City plans to apply to the Cultural Heritage Administration for the name change after expert consultation based on the results of this seminar.

An official from Ulsan City said, "By changing the name of Ulju Cheonjeon-ri from 'Gakseok' to 'Petroglyphs,' we aim to help the general public more easily understand the nature of the cultural property and prepare for a successful World Heritage registration."