Bangudae Petroglyphs

The Bangudae Petroglyphs are prehistoric carvings of whales, hunters and animals on a cliff above the Daegokcheon stream near Ulsan. Some whales are rendered so precisely that you can tell the species apart, which is extremely rare in rock art anywhere in the world. In July 2025 the panel and the nearby Cheonjeon-ri carvings were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as the "Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream". Go knowing that you cannot walk up to the rock: you view it from an observation deck across the stream.

Whaling scenes carved in stone

The main panel is about 8 m wide and 5 m high, and around ten neighbouring rocks carry smaller carvings. Of the figures that can be identified, 237 in total, 97 are land animals, 92 sea creatures, 17 humans, 6 boats and 6 tools such as nets and harpoons. Whales are the largest group with 62 figures. Grey, humpback and sperm whales can be distinguished, a mother whale carries her calf on her back, and boats linked by lines to harpoons and floats chase their prey. Two techniques overlap – figures pecked out in full and figures drawn only in outline – suggesting the panel was carved over many generations from the Neolithic into the Bronze Age. Across the whole Bangucheon site, the carvings span roughly 5000 BC to the 9th century AD.

Discovery and a rock that goes under water

Scholars surveying the Cheonjeon-ri rock in December 1971 followed a villager's tip and floated downstream by boat, where they found the panel. By then the Sayeon Dam, completed downstream in 1965, was already flooding the rock every year: it starts to go under when the reservoir passes 52 m and is fully submerged at 57 m. Because repeated flooding speeds up weathering, the reservoir has been kept below 52 m since 2013, but typhoons and heavy rain still submerge the panel. It was designated a National Treasure in 1995.

What to see

• Observation deck: you look at the panel from across the stream. As of 2026, four AI-assisted XR telescopes are installed; aim one at a figure and an explanation appears on screen.
• Stream trail: a walk along layered sedimentary cliffs and the winding Daegokcheon.
• Ulsan Petroglyph Museum: a full-size replica and displays let you study carvings that are hard to make out with the naked eye.
• Cheonjeon-ri Petroglyphs: the partner site upstream, with geometric patterns and inscriptions from the Silla period.

Rock and light

The carved rock is a shale-type sedimentary stone laid down as mud in the Cretaceous period. The figures cluster on a broad, flat face sheltered by an overhang that juts out like a roof, and some researchers think people gathered in front of it for rituals. Towards sunset, raking light briefly makes the outlines stand out.

Tripto tips

• Order of visit: start at the museum to learn the figures, then head to the deck – you will know what to look for on the rock.
• Museum hours: 09:00–18:00 (last entry 17:30), closed Mondays and 1 January; if Monday is a public holiday, it closes the next day instead.
• Light: the carvings stand out best in low, raking sunlight. After heavy rain the panel may be under water.
• Getting there: as of July 2026, a circular shuttle links the petroglyph car park, the museum, the Bangudae entrance and the Cheonjeon-ri entrance Wednesday to Sunday, 8 runs a day. Check the timetable before you go.
• Time needed: allow 2–3 hours for the museum, the deck and Cheonjeon-ri.