Visitors on July 13 take selfies of the Petroglyphs, or prehistoric images carved on rock, along Bangucheon Stream at Bangudae Petroglyphs Observatory in Daegok-ri Village of Ulsan's Ulju-gun County. Including those in the villages of Daegok-ri and Cheonjeon-ri, the petroglyphs were registered on July 12 as UNESCO World Heritage. (Yonhap News)

By Lee Jihae

The Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream in Ulsan's Ulju-gun County, or prehistoric images carved on rock that contain the essence of the nation's culture of those times, have been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 12 said the decision was finalized at the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee that day in Paris.

The petroglyphs are considered a single piece of heritage that include those in the villages of Daegok-ri and Cheonjeon-ri in the county.

Engraved on rocks under a cliff, the works are famous for their vivid images of whales such finback and gray whale and people hunting such creatures.

Those in Cheonjeon-ri depict animals in the sea and on land such as whales, deer and horses. There are records of royalty and noble warriors visiting these petroglyphs during the reign (514-40) of King Beopheung of the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-A.D. 935), thus the inscriptions are valuable historical resources with traces of eras other than prehistoric times.

"Creativity is particularly evocative in prehistoric images depicting whales and certain stages of whaling, a subject only rarely represented in rock art around the world," the ministry quoted the committee as saying. "The Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream also attest to a tradition of rock carving that was practiced for approximately 6,000 years within the landscape formed by the stream."

Korea now has 17 items on the World Heritage list -- 15 cultural and two natural.

jihlee08@korea.kr