This week on Jeju: A to Z, Todd Thacker takes a brief look at an area of Jeju that has relics of early Neolithic culture. This archeological site at Gosan-ri is being studied by researchers who say it is unlike anything they’ve encountered thus far on the mainland.
On the far west of Jeju Island, there is evidence of early Jeju islanders’ homes, culture, and even their daily lives. Stone tools, arrowheads and pottery fragments dating back some 10,000 years are preserved here.

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Gosan-ri, Hangyeong-myeon

This area is near Jagunae Port in Gosan Village, Hangyeong-myeon. Its archeological treasure trove, which number in the tens of thousands of artifacts, lay undiscovered until 1987. Since that time, these relics have been carefully unearthed, studied and hailed as a unique source of information on the Neolithic people who lived here.

It is the oldest human settlement as yet discovered in Korea, and archeologists and researchers from the Jeju Archeology Institute and the Jeju Cultural Heritage Institute say there is nothing like it on the mainland.

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Neolithic islanders hunted, fished, made pottery

Many of the arrowheads and stoneware discovered at the site indicate that the people were mainly hunters and fishermen. There are many examples of pottery from that period, including the use of an impressive technique not found on the mainland.

If you’re curious to learn more, you can examine examples of these artifacts first-hand at Jeju National Museum right here here in Jeju City.

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Todd Thacker

As is often the case when nations and regions are subject to frequent natural and man-made disasters, historical artifacts and landmarks can be tragically lost or destroyed. Korea may be no exception, but the Gosan site is a rare example of an ancient, vibrant local culture being studied and saved for us all.

Todd Thacker KCTV