Reading Sacrificial Burial Tombs Beneath the Jisandong Tumuli at Daegaya Goryeong Museum

Why Daegaya Museum Was Built at the Foot of Jusan Mountain

Goryeong Daegaya Museum is located at 1203 Daegaya-ro, Daegaya-eup, Goryeong-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, at the foot of Jusan Mountain, where the royal tombs of Daegaya are clustered. Around the Goryeong Daegaya Historic Site, approximately 200 tombs in the Jisandong Tumuli are densely concentrated, making this a good location for understanding the museum exhibits alongside the actual terrain of the tumuli.

Daegaya developed a distinctive culture, including the gayageum, pottery, and ironware. The museum opened in April 2005 and is described as a museum specializing in the history of Daegaya. The current building and exhibits have recently reopened following remodeling.

How to View Tomb No. 44 in Jisan-ri Inside the 37 m Dome

Daegaya Royal Tombs Exhibition Hall is an exhibition hall that restores and recreates Tomb No. 44 in Jisan-ri, the largest royal-sacrifice tomb from the Daegaya period ever identified in Korea. The building has a dome measuring 37 m across and displays artifacts related to the Jisandong Tumuli.

Excavations of Tombs Nos. 32–35 in Jisandong began in 1977. Iron helmets, armor, gilt-bronze crowns, and other artifacts were unearthed, revealing that these were tombs of the ruling class. Tombs Nos. 44–45 are regarded as sites demonstrating the ancient practice of human sacrifice in funerary rituals. Thus, this exhibition hall is not merely a place to view a large tomb, but a space for understanding the funerary customs and power structure of the time.

An Order for Following the Four Themes at Daegaya History Museum

Daegaya History Museum explains the history and culture of Goryeong from the Paleolithic period through modern times and displays artifacts. The exhibits are divided into four themes: “The Dawn of Daegaya,” “The Establishment of Daegaya,” “The Growth and Development of Daegaya,” and “Goryeong After Daegaya.” This allows visitors to connect the periods before and after Daegaya rather than ending their visit with Daegaya alone.

For first-time foreign visitors, it is easier to understand the exhibits by first learning about the formation, growth, and development of the state, then moving to Goryeong after Daegaya. The official website also offers a 360-degree VR Room function for exploring the exhibition hall and provides Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese menus.

Why Pit Dwellings, Loft Granaries, and Iron-Smelting Furnaces Are Outdoors

If it is difficult to imagine Daegaya’s daily life and industries through indoor exhibits alone, continue to the outdoor exhibition area. Here, visitors can see pit dwellings and loft granaries recreating Daegaya-period residences, as well as the remains of an iron-smelting furnace. Because residential and production facilities are shown side by side, visitors can examine the contexts in which pottery and ironware were used in everyday life.

The outdoor exhibition area also displays Buddhist cultural properties such as stone pagodas, stone lanterns, and Buddhist statues, along with various stone cultural properties including long foundation stones, millstones, and mortars. This outdoor area is easy to miss if you visit only Daegaya Royal Tombs Exhibition Hall and Daegaya History Museum, so on rainy or hot days it is advisable to adjust the viewing order according to the weather.

Operating Hours and Free Admission as of August 2026

As of August 2026, the exhibition halls are open from 09:00 to 18:00 from March through October, with last admission at 17:00, and from 09:00 to 17:00 from November through February, with last admission at 16:00. The museum is closed every Monday; when Monday is a public holiday, it closes on the first weekday after the holiday.

Admission to the main building of Daegaya Museum is free. However, the English page of the Korea Tourism Organization lists individual admission as KRW 2,000 for adults and KRW 1,500 for children, and group admission as KRW 1,800 for adults and KRW 1,200 for children, which differs from the official website’s free-admission notice. Visitors should use the official website’s free-admission information as the basis for planning, but should be aware that the conflicting fee information may cause confusion at the ticket counter.

Items That Actually Cost Money at the Children’s Experiential Learning Center

The Children’s Experiential Learning Center is open from 09:30 to 17:00 from March through October, with last admission at 16:40, and from 09:30 to 16:30 from November through February, with last admission at 16:10. Lunch break is from 12:00 to 13:00, and preschool children must participate with a guardian.

Experience materials cost extra. Making a Gaya pottery character costs KRW 2,000 for one lump of clay; the Daegaya story stamp booklet costs KRW 500; printing, rubbing, and frottage paper costs KRW 100 per sheet; and a Daegaya gilt-bronze crown-making kit costs KRW 1,000 each. A Daegaya activity bundle costs KRW 3,000 per set and includes a total discount of KRW 600. To ensure smooth activities, participation is limited to 10 people every 30 minutes.

Groups must contact the museum and make a reservation; the inquiry telephone number is 054-950-7103. The main building’s website also has menus for visit reservations, group reservations, and reservation inquiries, so groups should use the reservation process rather than arriving directly at the site.

A 240 m Walking Route from Daegaya History Theme Tourist Site

Daegaya History Theme Tourist Site is approximately a one-minute walk, or 240 m, from Daegaya Museum. Therefore, travelers who have already arrived at Daegaya History Theme Tourist Site can make the museum their next destination without moving their vehicle. The address is Daegaya Museum, 1203 Daegaya-ro, Daegaya-eup, Goryeong-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and the postal code is 40138.

Bus route numbers and stop information could not be confirmed, so travelers coming from outside Goryeong solely by public transportation should not mistake the 240 m route described here for a complete access guide. Visitors can arrive by car, and a parking lot is indicated, but the parking fee and number of available spaces could not be confirmed. The museum’s main telephone number is 054-950-7103, and the fax number is 054-955-1148.

What Wheelchair Users and Foreign Visitors Should Know in Advance

The museum has an accessible restroom and an elevator for visitors with disabilities, and the main entrance has no steps. Accessible parking spaces, wheelchair rentals, and convenience services for visitors with visual impairments are also indicated, which may be useful for visitors requiring mobility assistance.

The official website provides English, Chinese, and Japanese menus, but information about whether photography is allowed, photography restrictions, access restrictions and opening areas inside the exhibition halls, and whether payment is cash-only could not be confirmed. Recommended viewing times are also not provided in the official materials, so if you plan to include the children’s activities or outdoor exhibition area, it is better to arrive with ample time rather than just before last admission.

A Goryeong Daegaya Route Continuing to Ureuk Museum

The day-trip route suggested by the Korea Tourism Organization is Daegaya History Theme Tourist Site, Daegaya Museum, Ureuk Museum, and Gaesil Village, in that order. Ureuk Museum is approximately 8 minutes by car, or 3.8 km, from the museum. Its address is 98 Gayageum-gil, Daegaya-eup, Goryeong-gun.

Ureuk Museum’s main telephone number is 054-950-7136, and the inquiry number for gayageum-making experiences is 054-950-6313. After viewing Daegaya’s state, tombs, and daily life at Daegaya Museum, this order works naturally if you want to shift the theme to gayageum culture. If you plan to visit both places, first calculate the seasonal last-admission time at Daegaya Museum: 17:00 or 16:00.