Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream

World Heritage Identification Number: 1740

World Heritage since: 2025

Category: Cultural Heritage

Transboundary Heritage: No

Endangered Heritage: No

Country: 🇰🇷 Republic of Korea

Continent: Asia

UNESCO World Region: Asia and the Pacific

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Exploring the Rich History of the Petroglyphs Along the Bangucheon Stream

The Petroglyphs Along the Bangucheon Stream, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2025, offer a captivating glimpse into the rich history and cultural expressions of ancient civilizations that once thrived along the southeastern coast of the Korean Peninsula. This unique site, spanning approximately three kilometers, is situated along the Bangucheon Stream, a tributary of the Taehwa River, and boasts two significant rock art sites: Daegok-ri and Cheonjeon-ri Petroglyphs.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

The property is located along the Bangucheon Stream on the Republic of Korea’s southeastern coast, spanning about three kilometers through a landscape of stratified cliffs. It features two significant rock art sites: the Daegok-ri and Cheonjeon-ri Petroglyphs. These panels contain dense concentrations of engravings created by successive generations from 5,000 BCE to the 9th century CE. Carved using stone and metal tools, the petroglyphs depict a wide range of imagery and reflect both prehistoric and historic cultural expressions.

Encyclopedia Record: Bangudae Petroglyphs

The Bangudae (Daegok-ri) Petroglyphs are pre-historic engravings on flat vertical rock faces on the riverside of the Daegokcheon (Bangucheon) stream, a branch of the Taehwa River, which runs eastward and joins the East Sea at Ulsan. They are the National Treasure of South Korea No. 285 and were registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2025.

Additional Site Details

Area: 43.69 hectares

UNESCO Criteria: (i) — Masterpiece of human creative genius
(iii) — Unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition

Coordinates: 35.60845 , 129.1739972222

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Nearby World Heritage Sites

Gyeongju Historic Areas
21 km — Republic of Korea

Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple
26 km — Republic of Korea

Gaya Tumuli
49 km — Republic of Korea

Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, the Depositories for the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks
99 km — Republic of Korea

Historic Villages of Korea: Hahoe and Yangdong
119 km — Republic of Korea

Country Information: Republic of Korea

Official Name: Republic of Korea

Capital: Seoul

Continent: Asia

Population (2024): 51,751,065

Population (2023): 51,712,619

Population (2022): 51,672,569

Land Area: 97,600 sq km

Currency: South Korean won (KRW)

Country Data Sources

Links

UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream
Wikipedia: Bangudae Petroglyphs

Portions of the page Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset and on text from the Wikipedia article Bangudae Petroglyphs, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes made. Additional original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.