▲ This photo, provided by the Cultural Heritage Administration, shows the Koreaceratops hwaseongensis. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

▲ This photo, provided by the Cultural Heritage Administration, shows the anatomical description of Koreaceratops hwaseongensis. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

▲ This photo, provided by the Cultural Heritage Administration, shows the Koreaceratops hwaseongensis when it was first discovered. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

 

SEOUL August, 22 (Yonhap) -- The fossil "Hwaseong Horned Dinosaur" discovered in Hwaseong city, Gyeonggi province in 2008 is becoming a natural monument.

The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on Monday that it will be designating the skeleton fossil of the "Hwaseong Horned Dinosaur" (Koreaceratops hwaseongensis), a new type of Ceratopia (horned dinosaur) bone fossil first discovered in Korea, as a nationally designated cultural property natural monument.

Koreaceratops hwaseongensis means "Korean horned dinosaur found in Hwaseong."

This dinosaur fossil was discovered in 2008 near the seawall of Jeongok Port, Hwaseong, in a form that was almost complete with all the bones of the lower body in place, including hip bones, tail bones, lower leg bones, and foot bones.

According to the research of Lee Yong-nam, a professor at the Seoul National University, it was revealed that this dinosaur was the first ceratopsian discovered in Korea. The scientific name has been recognized internationally as it was recognized for its academic value.

Currently, this fossil is on display at the Hwaseong Fossilized Dinosaur Egg Site Visitor Center in Hwaseong.

The "Hwaseong Horned Dinosaur Skeleton Fossil" is also a major source of dinosaur research on the Korean Peninsula.

According to the Cultural Heritage Administration, this fossil indicates that the ceratopsian dinosaurs lived on the Korean Peninsula during the Early Cretaceous Period of the Mesozoic Era, about 120 million years ago.

With a total body length of 2.3m, it is estimated that it was bipedal judging from the remaining skeletons.

"It is being used as a valuable resource to understand the evolution of ceratopsians on the Korean Peninsula, like finding out that this dinosaur died at the age of 8 through skeletal tissue research," explained the Cultural Heritage Administration.

If this fossil becomes a natural monument, it is of great significance itself.

While there have been natural monuments related to dinosaur footprints, this is the first fossil of a dinosaur skeleton to be designated as a natural monument. According to the Cultural Heritage Administration, if it is designated as a natural monument, this would be the first case.

"It is almost the only dinosaur skeleton fossil found in Korea. It has great value as it has a good original state and is a representative dinosaur fossil recognized internationally as a new type of ceratopsian dinosaur," an official from the Cultural Heritage Administration said.

The Cultural Heritage Administration plans to decide its designation through deliberation by the Cultural Heritage Committee after collecting opinions from various fields during the 30-day notice period.

 

(This article is translated from Korean to English by Haemin Kim.)

 

 

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