▲ This photo, provided by Gyeongju-si, shows the Daereungwon Tomb Complex. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

 

SEOUL, Jan. 25 (Yonhap) – The Daereungwon Tomb Complex, a renowned historic site in Gyeongju – the former capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla in Gyeongsangbuk-do – attracting more than 1 million visitors a year, is expected to be open to the public free of charge.

Gyeongju City announced on Wednesday that the city has been undergoing administrative procedures to open the Daereungwon Tomb Complex, which is designated as the Historic Site No. 512 placed in Hwangnam-dong, for free from May.

The site, where 23 ancient tombs from the ancient Silla Dynasty are gathered, is a representative historical site in Gyeongju with 1,081,410 visitors entering the tombs in 2021 despite the novel COVID-19 pandemic at its peak.

The Hwangnam Daechong Tomb – the largest tomb in Gyeongju where the gold crown was unearthed – and the Cheonmachong Tomb, where the “Cheonmado” painted on the horse was excavated, can be found on the site.

The city has been expecting that there will be a surge in the number of tourists who visit the Gyeongju Hwangridan-gil and eastern historical sites to also visit the Tomb Complex if the site is fully opened without any charges to the public.

The city council has started consulting with the Cultural Heritage Administration for free opening since 2021 and has been working on revising the related ordinances.

As soon as the city council passes the revised ordinances, the current admission fees – 3,000 won for adults and 1,000 won for children – will then be removed.

However, the city plans to collect admissions fees, ranging from 500 to 2,000 won, for those visiting the Cheonmachong Tomb within the Complex for the sake of preservation and management efficiency of the cultural assets.

In order to do so, the city has recently established an additional entrance door on the east side in addition to the four existing entrances from Sept. to Dec. last year, and is currently installing a ticket office for the Cheongmachong Tomb within the Complex.

“The Daereungwon Tomb Complex will be open to the public free of charge starting from May when the ordinances are all finalized.”

(This article is translated from Korean to English by Ha eun Lee)

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