Seokchon-dong Tumuli

The Seokchon-dong Tumuli are a group of early Baekje stone mound tombs (stone-piled tombs) surviving in Seokchon-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, believed to be the burial ground of the Hanseong Baekje royal family and ruling class. The Korea Tourism Organization commentary says there were some 300 tombs in the Japanese colonial period, but many disappeared after liberation as their stones were used to build houses and fields were cleared, and they were already badly damaged by the time of the 1980s excavations. Today 5 large stone mound tombs remain. Admission is free; it is always open, all year, and parking is available. For inquiries, contact the Songpa-gu Office Cultural Heritage Division at +82-2-2147-2608. The commentary focuses on the scale and likely owner of Tomb No. 3 and the adoption of Goguryeo style seen in Tomb No. 4.

At the entrance, a sign says there are early Baekje tombs built of piled stones. The commentary notes that the tombs are about 2 km southwest of Mongchontoseong and sees them as closely tied to the Hanseong Baekje royal fortress. The straight-line distance calculated from Korea Tourism Organization coordinates is about 2.7 km; the two figures differ slightly, so treat them as a rough sense of distance. The royal fortress is covered in our Mongchontoseong Earthen Fortress guide.

The surviving tombs are built in steps on square bases of dressed stone. The commentary says this style resembles the General's Tomb (Janggunchong), a tomb of the Goguryeo ruling class, and attributes this to Baekje having been founded mainly by refugees who came down from Goguryeo and people who had lived in the Hangang basin since the Mahan period. Stepped stone mound tombs have been found only here in Baekje and are few in number, so they are thought to be the tombs of the Hanseong Baekje royal family.

The commentary also says the neighborhood was called Dolmaeul ("stone village") because it had so many stones, which became the name Seokchon. The flatland fortress of the same Hanseong period is in our Pungnap Earthen Fortress guide, and your whole Seoul itinerary in our Seoul guide.

The huge tomb on the right from the main gate is Tomb No. 3. The commentary gives the first tier as about 50 m east–west and about 48 m north–south, much larger than the General's Tomb, known as the tomb of King Jangsu of Goguryeo. The ground was leveled with clay and gravel, and flat dressed stones were piled on it; the first step is about 90 cm high, and each step above is set further in.

The restored height has been controversial. During excavation, the three tiers were thought to be 4 m high, but the actual restoration was lower, and some believe, based on photos in a Japanese colonial-period report, that it had seven tiers about 7 m high. Because the original form cannot be confirmed, the destroyed three tiers were restored as they are now. Fragments of Eastern Jin Chinese celadon and a gold bead necklace were found in the tomb, but no burial chamber was discovered.

From the celadon fragments, the tomb is dated to after the mid-4th century, and weighing its scale and date, the commentary judges that its owner is most likely King Geunchogo, who led Hanseong Baekje at its height, or his son King Geungusu. This is an estimate, not an established fact.

Check before you visit

• See Tomb No. 3, on the right from the main gate, first.
• Remember that the restored height of Tomb No. 3 is disputed.
• Continue to Tomb No. 4 right next to Tomb No. 3.
• It is always open with no time limits, but follow the information boards.
• For inquiries, call +82-2-2147-2608.

Tomb No. 4 is next to Tomb No. 3 and looks no different from the others from outside. However, the commentary says that when excavations revealed its internal stone structure, it turned out to have been built while Goguryeo tomb style was being adopted and transformed into a Baekje style. It is dated to between the late 3rd and mid-4th century.

The commentary traces three stages of change in Hanseong Baekje. Before the 3rd century, Baekje was one of the many states of Mahan, so its royal tombs probably took a different form from the stone mound tombs at Seokchon-dong; after royal power grew stronger, large tombs such as stepped stone mound tombs were built under Goguryeo influence; and after the capital moved to Ungjin, royal tombs generally changed to stone chamber tombs with tunnel entrances. The royal tombs of the Ungjin period are in our Tomb of King Muryeong and Royal Tombs guide (in Korean).

Good for:

• Learning about Hanseong Baekje: see the burial ground after Pungnap and Mongchon fortresses.
• Comparing architecture: compare the stepped stone mound tombs that resemble the General’s Tomb.
• A short visit: always open and free.
• City walks: a site that survives in the city center, so getting there is simple.