Group that found suspected artifacts at Gangwon provincial office site calls for public briefing

After 97 objects suspected to be buried cultural heritage were found at the site of the new Gangwon Provincial Office building in Goeun-ri, Chuncheon, and the city ordered a construction halt, the group that first discovered and reported the objects — the Chuncheon Jungdo Prehistoric Site Preservation Center — formally requested that the Cultural Heritage Administration, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province and Chuncheon open the site to the public and hold a joint public briefing.

According to the center on Friday, it filed a request Thursday through the National Sinmungo public petition system asking that the relevant agencies open the site so citizens can verify the situation firsthand.

Of the suspected artifacts, 67 were found on a section of the site that had been declared fully excavated and backfilled, while 30 were found on a section that had not yet been excavated.

The center said the agencies must explain how 67 objects came to be found on land recorded as fully excavated.

The center said the public briefing should cover five areas: the scope and results of the buried heritage investigation across the entire new office site; how the 67 objects came to be found on the excavated and backfilled section; how the 30 objects came to be found on the unexcavated section; the process of the original excavation survey and the subsequent backfilling and earthwork; and plans for a re-investigation and preservation measures following the latest discovery.

The center said it was not sufficient for the relevant agencies to make their own internal determinations on the matter.

"This is not simply a matter for the new office building project — it is a buried heritage issue that all citizens must be able to verify together," the center said. "The site must be opened and the investigation process and future action plans must be explained to the public transparently."

The center added that it was calling on the authorities to arrange a site visit and an open verification process in which citizens, experts and journalists could participate, provided that heritage protection and on-site safety are ensured.

The Cultural Heritage Administration and Chuncheon have launched a detailed investigation into the matter.

Meanwhile, a legal challenge seeking to halt construction of the new Gangwon Provincial Office building is currently pending in court, with the plaintiffs citing procedural defects in how the project was carried out.