Government monitoring rates both Bangucheon carvings under ‘cautionary observation’ as flooding, weathering persist
The ancient Petroglyphs along Ulsan’s Bangucheon Stream, which marked one year as an officially listed UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 12, face unresolved conservation problems, a government report has found.
The National Treasure Bangudae Petroglyphs in Daegok-ri, Ulju, were submerged for more than a month last summer, while the nearby Cheonjeon-ri Inscriptions and Petroglyphs, also a National Treasure, were found to be at risk of damage from weathering, according to the “2025 Monitoring Report on Priority-Managed Cultural Heritage,” released Friday by the Korea Heritage Service and National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage.
The report shows that the Bangudae carvings received a C-1 grade, or “cautionary observation.” The central rock face was underwater for 37 days last year, from July 19 to Aug. 24, just a week after the site joined the World Heritage list on July 12, 2025.
The flooding stems from Sayeon Dam, about 4.5 kilometers downstream. With no floodgates to regulate water levels, heavy rain raises the water until it reaches the carvings, which are fully submerged at a dam level of 57 meters. The rock face was underwater for 18 days in 2021, 23 in 2022 and 68 in 2023, before a dry 2024. To lower levels, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment plans to install three floodgates and an intake tower at the dam by 2030.
The nearby Cheonjeon-ri Inscriptions and Petroglyphs were also rated as needing cautionary observation, with the institute reporting increasing biological damage on the lower carvings and rising surface weathering.
Marking the sites’ first anniversary with UNESCO, the Korea Heritage Service planned to present its conservation measures in Ulsan on Friday.
