The Role and Significance of Transportation Routes in the Jungwon Historical and Cultural Area...

'The Central Plains and Transportation Routes in the Transition to the Medieval Period' Academic Conference

The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage's National Jungwon Cultural Heritage Research Institute will hold an academic conference on the 26th at the Gaesin Culture Hall of Chungbuk National University, together with the Hoseo Archaeological Society and Chungbuk National University's Jungwon Cultural Research Institute, under the theme "Jungwon and Transportation Routes in the Transition to the Medieval Period." The conference highlights the importance of the Jungwon Historical and Cultural Zone, which connected the southern and northern parts of the Korean Peninsula, and sheds light on the cultural significance formed along the transportation routes.

The Jungwon Historical and Cultural Zone is an inland area without access to the sea, encompassing key transportation routes represented by the Han River and the Sobaek Mountain Range. Due to frequent movement of people and goods from various regions, diverse local cultures coexisted and blended.

At the academic conference, changes in the transportation routes of the Jungwon Historical and Cultural Zone will be examined through archaeological distribution, and connections between regions during the Unified Silla period will be inferred using historical records and written materials. The correlation with transportation routes extending from the Jungwon Historical and Cultural Zone during the medieval transition period will be analyzed, along with the formation and significance of the Johwa System (造瓦體制, the system that produced roof tiles).

Following the keynote presentations, a comprehensive discussion will be held, led by Moon Jae-beom, a cultural heritage commissioner of Chungcheongbuk-do. The research achievements and challenges regarding inland transportation routes within the Jungwon Historical and Cultural Zone will be discussed. The National Jungwon Cultural Heritage Research Institute expressed hope that this will serve as an opportunity to examine the role of inland transportation routes.