Uljin-gun Reassesses the Value of 'Seongryugul Inscription'

Academic Seminar on Seongryugul, a Prestigious Site in Gyeongju, Held on the 23rd

Highlighting the New Historical and Cultural Heritage Value of the 'Myeongmun'

On November 23, Gyeongbuk Uljin-gun announced that an academic seminar titled "Current Status of the Discovery of Seongryugul Inscriptions and Future Tasks" was held at the Hilton Hotel in Gyeongju, hosted by the Cultural Heritage Administration (Natural Monuments Division) and the National Gyeongju Cultural Heritage Research Institute.

Seongryugul Cave in Uljin. [Image source: Cultural Heritage Administration]

In 2019, records left by various social groups such as monks, Hwarang warriors, and local officials who visited Seongryugul Cave from the Three Kingdoms period through the Goryeo and Joseon dynasties were discovered inside Seongryugul. Notably, this was the first case of such inscriptions found in a cave, and the discovery of a record stating that King Jinheung of Silla visited Seongryugul in June 560 attracted significant attention from academia and the media.

At this academic seminar, through presentations by related experts and discussions among panelists, the current status of the investigation and research on the discovered inscriptions was reviewed. The Gyeongju Cultural Heritage Research Institute plans to conduct a comprehensive survey of the number and content of the inscriptions over a four-year period from 2024 to 2027, followed by public reading sessions and seminars, culminating in the publication of a comprehensive report.

On the following day, November 25, Uljin-gun will provide a guided field inspection of the inscription sites to officials including the Director of the Cultural Heritage Conservation Bureau of the Cultural Heritage Administration and the Director of the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage.

Son Byeong-bok, the county governor, stated, “Starting with this academic seminar, we hope that the investigation of Seongryugul inscriptions will be actively conducted, leading to recognition of Seongryugul’s historical and cultural value in addition to its natural heritage value, and that it will be designated as a national cultural heritage site. The county will actively cooperate with the Cultural Heritage Administration and the National Gyeongju Cultural Heritage Research Institute to fulfill Uljin-gun’s role in achieving this.”