Tall Dolmen

Gochang County, Korea

Dolmens are grave markers. The Jungnim-ri group of dolmens is centered on the village of Maesan in Gochang County. The ones in Gochang date to around the 7th century BC, earlier than the Hwasun dolmens but later than Ganghwa (Wikipedia). The group, of which 442 dolmen have been documented and studied, is large and varied; its capstones measure approximately between 1m (3 ft) and 6m (20 ft) in length, and some of the larger stones weigh over 200 tons.

The dolmens in Jungnim-ri, like the other dolmens in South Korea, are of the "southern" type. For a brief explanation of this and other basic concepts about dolmens, see the Hwasun Dolmen pages on this website.

The handful of dolmens illustrated here are among the largest and most spectacular in Korea; they are exceptional for that reason, and are not representative of the majority of dolmens at Gochang or other sites.