Four Unique Funerary Heritage Sites Including the Oryang-dong Kiln Site in Naju
Jeonnam Province announced on January 2 that, together with Naju City and Yeongam County, it has applied to have the “Mahan Ongwan Tombs” listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.
An Ongwan is a large jar-shaped earthenware coffin used for burial, in which the deceased is placed and interred in the ground. While such coffins were commonly used for the graves of children or ordinary people in various regions of East Asia, the Mahan society along the Yeongsan River developed this practice into a unique burial system reserved exclusively for the ruling class.
The Mahan Ongwan Tombs are a heritage that, from the 3rd to the 6th century, saw the production of massive Ongwan coffins-measuring up to 2 meters in length and weighing as much as 300 kilograms-in the Yeongsan River basin, which were then transported along the river and buried in the tombs of the elite. This integrated system of production, distribution, and burial represents a distinctive funerary culture unique to Mahan, with no parallels elsewhere in the world.
The heritage being nominated consists of four sites: the Oryang-dong kiln site in Naju, the Panam Tumuli Cluster in Naju, the Bokamni Tumuli Cluster in Naju, and the Sijong Tumuli Cluster in Yeongam. The Oryang-dong kiln site is a production area equipped with 77 kilns for making Ongwan coffins, while the Panam, Bokamni, and Sijong clusters are tombs of the ruling class where these Ongwan coffins were actually used for burial.
Jeonnam Province began research for the Tentative List inscription in April 2025, held advisory meetings and working-level consultations, and finalized the heritage name, Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), and the scope of the components. In September, an international academic conference was held, and with additional input from domestic and international experts, the final report was completed on December 17.
Inscription on the World Heritage Tentative List is a mandatory preliminary step toward full inscription. After submitting the application, it undergoes review by the Cultural Heritage Administration. Once included on the Tentative List, a nomination dossier is prepared for review by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.
Kang Hyoseok, Director of Cultural Prosperity at Jeonnam Province, stated, “The Mahan Ongwan Tombs are the most concentrated archaeological evidence of the Mahan culture, which is sparsely documented in historical records. Beginning with the Tentative List inscription, we will work systematically and in close cooperation with Naju City and Yeongam County to achieve full World Heritage inscription.”
Jeonnam Province aims to complete the review by the Cultural Heritage Administration in the first half of 2026, with the goal of being inscribed on the Tentative List in the second half of the year. Afterward, the province plans to formally begin preparing the World Heritage nomination dossier.
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