Okjeon Tumuli, Hapcheon

On low hills above a bend in the Hwanggang River in Ssangchaek-myeon, Hapcheon, 18 large burial mounds 20–30 m across line the ridge. The Okjeon Tumuli are thought to hold the rulers of Dara, one of the small Gaya states. Swords decorated with dragons and phoenixes, gold earrings, iron horse helmets and even fragments of Roman-type glass have made it a key site for understanding Gaya, and in 2023 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the "Gaya Tumuli".

A kingdom revealed by a dam

When the Hapcheon Dam was planned on the upper Hwanggang in 1984, surveys of the area to be flooded identified the tombs, and full excavation started in 1985. Many had already been looted, yet major finds still emerged. The tombs date from the 4th to the early 6th century, and there are estimated to be around 1,000 in all. The site also shows how burial structures changed over time, from wooden chamber tombs to stone-lined pits and stone chambers with an entrance passage.

What the tombs held

• Tomb M3: yielded four ring-pommel swords decorated with dragons and phoenixes, symbols of the highest ruler – the first time so many had come from a single tomb. Some 130 iron axes were laid beneath the coffin as a display of wealth and power.
• Horse helmets: iron horse helmets are rare across East Asia, yet five were found here.
• Gold earrings and beads: the earrings from tombs 28, M4 and M6, along with the M3 swords, are designated Treasures. Tomb M2 contained more than 2,000 beads together with the stones used to grind them, proof that beads were made locally.
• Roman glass: fragments of a so-called Roman glass cup, similar to finds from Silla and Japan, show how wide Dara's connections were.

Armour and helmets of Dara

Thirteen helmets were found at Okjeon; the one from Tomb A is covered entirely in gilt bronze and is compared with Goguryeo helmets. Five suits of armour, symbols of the highest authority, were also recovered, and the iron-plate armour from Tomb 68 is a key piece for the study of ancient armour alongside contemporary examples from Japan. A cap from Tomb 23, topped with a gilt-bronze rod, has no parallel elsewhere in Korea. Together these finds show a small Gaya state in contact with Goguryeo, Silla and Japan.

Walking among the mounds

The big mounds cluster along the ridge, and from the top you look out over the river and fields. With almost no trees on the grassy slopes, the rounded outlines of the tombs stand out against the sky. Just below, Hapcheon Museum reopened its galleries in 2024 with the whole second floor devoted to the Okjeon Tumuli, including a life-size reconstruction of the ruler's tomb M3. Seeing the tombs first and the finds afterwards makes both easier to understand.

Tripto tips

• Visiting: the tumuli are an open-air site with no admission fee. Check museum opening hours and closing days with Hapcheon County before you go.
• Time needed: 40 minutes to 1 hour for the tombs, about 2 hours with the museum.
• Getting there: the site is in Seongsan-ri, Ssangchaek-myeon, Hapcheon; park at Hapcheon Museum and walk up. Public transport is sparse, so a car is the realistic option.
• Best time: spring and autumn. There is hardly any shade, so avoid midday in high summer.
• Combine with: the Jisan-dong Tumuli in Goryeong, part of the same World Heritage site, are a short drive away.