Large Stone Mound Tombs Found in Seokchon-dong

The Ancient Tombs in Seokchon-dong belong to Baekje, the kingdom that ruled the southwest area of the Korean Peninsula from BC 18 to AD 660. When Baekje was founded, its capital was near today’s Seoul. This tomb complex belongs to the early royal family of Baekje.

All tombs found here were constructed by stacking stones. In the early 20th century, around 300 tombs were found in this complex. When a series of excavation surveys took place in the 1980s, many tombs were already gone due to city development projects.

Here, you can see five large tombs. Stone mound tombs refer to the style where square stones are stacked like stairs. This is similar to the tomb style of the neighboring kingdom of Goguryeo.

Baekje was founded by migrants from Goguryeo and natives of the Hangang area. Thus Baekje was under the influence of Goguryeo from early on. These stone mound tombs also show such influence.