By Kim Tae-jong

A group of historians from the two Koreas will jointly research a historical site of the ancient Koryo Kingdom, the Cultural Heritage Administration, a South Korean governmental body that leads the project, said Thursday.

The two Koreas agreed to conduct the excavation at their latest ministerial meeting in April.

Preparations are already under way, and South Korean scholars will visit the site on July 3 for the project, which will continue through Sept 2.

The site in Kaesong, which lies a few kilometers from the inter-Korean border, is the location of Manwoldae, the ancient kingdom’s royal palace. Korean scholars have applied to UNESCO to designate the site as a World Cultural Heritage. In 2004, UNESCO designated the royal tombs of the Koguryo Kingdom in North Korea as a World Cultural Heritage.

As the city was the capital of the kingdom from 918 to 1361, it is believed to contain important relics and remains from the kingdom

Located beneath Mt. Songak, the royal palace was built in 919 but was destroyed in 1361 when China invaded Korea.

According to historical records, the royal buildings were arranged in the form of stairs on a piece of land 445-meters wide and 150-meters long. The buildings had 13 castle wall gates and 15 palace gates.

(Korea Times, June 22, 2006)