[Guardian] N. and S. Korea collaborate in excavating ancient palace

 

This undated photo shows a ruins of Manwoldae in Kaesong, North Korea. The remains of a fortress that once surrounded Kaesong, the ancient capital of Korea’s Koryo Dynasty, is among sites in North Korea that made it onto UNESCO’s World Heritage list on Sunday, June 23, 2013. (Yonhap)

[THE GUARDIAN]

North and South Korean researchers are collaborating on the excavation of an ancient historical site at Manwoldae, home to the Koryo dynasty’s royal palace, in an unprecedented joint project between the two countries who have technically been at war since the 1950-53 Korean conflict.

Historians and archaeologists from the South crossed the border to the North Korean city of Kaesong yesterday to begin the work, hoping that the project will build awareness of the common history between the Koreas.

“It is the first time since the division [in 1945] that Southern and Northern members have worked at the same place for 40 to 60 days per year. There were wars of nerves between South and North scholars due to differences in methodologies, but we were in a same boat on the achievement of this excavation,” a project statement reads.

Approximately 80 South Koreans historians and archaeologists will work from Kaesong over the next six months. Although the project began in 2007, it has had a fitful few years due to fluctuations in inter-Korean relations.

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