Korean Peninsula Dinosaur Route

Visit order

1. 1

   Heritage site

   Dinosaur Tracksite in Nangdo-ri, Yeosu

   8-1, Sado-gil, Hwajeong-myeon, Yeosu-si, Jeonnam-Gwangju

   Stamp: Sado Tourist Center

   Surveys were undertaken of the area around the islands of Nangdo, Sado, and Chudo after fossils were discovered there in 2001. Dinosaur tracksites dating to the Late Cretaceous Period of the Mesozoic Era were identified on Sado and five nearby islands. A total of 3,546 dinosaur footprints has been confirmed so far. The tracks found here were made by a variety of dinosaurs, including ornithopods (herbivorous dinosaurs that walked on their hind legs), theropods (carnivorous dinosaurs that also walked on two legs), and sauropods (long-necked herbivorous dinosaurs). Ornithopod tracks dominate, accounting for 81 percent of the total. The 81-meter ornithopod trackway discovered on Chudo is exceptionally long, not simply by Korean standards, but also internationally. On Chudo and Sado, several trackways show regular spacing and run in the same direction, which is interpreted as direct evidence that the dinosaurs that left these footprints moved in herds and lived in groups. Web-footed bird tracks were also discovered on Sado, indicating that many different types of creatures shared the environment. Fossilized wood found on nearby Jeungdo offers a detailed look at the process by which trees from the age of dinosaurs were buried in volcanic ash and transformed into fossils. The Dinosaur Tracksite in Nangdo-ri, Yeosu provides valuable material for reconstructing the ecosystem of the Late Cretaceous Period. It also helps connect the dinosaur fossil sites along the coasts of Jeollanam-do and Gyeongsangnam-do with related sites in Japan and China. Sado is widely known for the way the sea parts at extreme low tides to reveal a path. Together with Yeonmok, Jungdo, Chudo, and other islands, it forms a group of seven islands arranged in a “ㄷ” shape. Around the first full moon of the lunar year, or between the second and fourth lunar months, the tide recedes especially far, sometimes opening a sea path all the way to Chudo. Nangdo is connected to the mainland by a bridge and can be reached by car. Along the Nangdo Dulle-gil Trail, visitors can observe dinosaur footprints while enjoying scenic rock formations such as Cheonseondae and Sinseondae. To visit Sado and Chudo, visitors must take a regular passenger ferry from the Yeosu Coastal Ferry Terminal or Nangdo Port, so it is advisable to check the tide and ferry schedules in advance and allow plenty of time for the trip.

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2. 2

   Heritage site

   Mokpo Natural History Museum

   135 Namnong-ro, Mokpo-si, Jeonnam-Gwangju

   Stamp: Mokpo Natural History Museum

   The Mokpo Natural History Museum is Korea’s largest public natural history museum. It consists of twelve exhibition halls, including a natural history hall that presents a broad survey of natural history from the birth of Earth 4.6 billion years ago to the present. It also features a culture and history hall focused on the Mokpo region. The museum displays one of the world’s only two Prenoceratops dinosaur fossils. Also on display is a large fossilized nest of eggs from a carnivorous dinosaur, an internationally significant find excavated and restored on Aphaedo Island in Sinan-gun, Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City and nationally designated as a Natural Monument. Outside the museum, visitors can also see a sculpture depicting an Oviraptor guarding its nest. Through its geology hall and other exhibition spaces, the museum offers a wide-ranging look at various minerals, fossils, and biological specimens. It serves as a living earth science classroom for children and is regarded as one of Mokpo’s leading cultural attractions. It is ideal for visiting together with the Mokpo Modern History and Culture District.

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3. 3

   Heritage site

   Dinosaur Tracksite in Seoyu-ri, Hwasun

   2080 Baega-ro, Baega-myeon, Hwasun-gun, Jeonnam-Gwangju

   Stamp: Dinosaur Fossil Site Tourist Information Center

   The Dinosaur Tracksite in Seoyu-ri, Hwasun is a fossil site discovered in strata dating back about 90 million years to the Late Cretaceous Period of the Mesozoic Era. It was excavated and studied in 1999 by the Korea Dinosaur Research Center of Chonnam National University during a survey for the development of Hwasun Hot Springs. Comprising five fossil-bearing layers, the site contains an exceptionally high concentration with more than 1,500 dinosaur footprints and some 70 trackways within a relatively small area measuring 60 by 54 meters. Another distinctive feature of the Seoyu-ri site is that about 88 percent of the footprints found here were made by carnivorous dinosaurs. Among them, a 52-meter-long carnivorous dinosaur trackway is an extremely important fossil record, as it made it possible for the first time in the world to estimate a dinosaur’s acceleration. In recognition of this value, the site was designated as a Natural Monument in 2007. A major geosite in the Mudeungsan UNESCO Global Geopark, the tracksite has continued to draw scholarly attention in recent years. These studies have produced significant scientific findings, including Korea’s first evidence for group behavior by pterosaurs, as shown by the discovery and analysis of some 350 pterosaur track fossils. Visitors can also observe plant fossils, such as petrified wood, found together with the dinosaur tracks, as well as various sedimentary structures, including ripple marks and mud cracks.

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4. 4

   Heritage site

   Tracksite of Dinosaurs, Pterosaurs, and Birds in Uhang-ri, Haenam

   234 Gongnyongbangmulgwan-gil, Hwangsan-myeon, Haenam-gun, Jeonnam-Gwangju

   Stamp: Haenam Dinosaur Museum

   This tracksite first drew media attention in 1996, following the first preliminary scientific study of its kind in the Jeolla-do Province region. It attracted great interest as the first site in the world where fossilized tracks of dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and birds were found together in the same stratigraphic layer, and in 1998 it was designated as a Natural Monument. Today, visitors can see actual fossilized footprints preserved in the strata inside three protective shelters. In Shelter No. 2, Haenamichnus uhangriensis, the first pterosaur track fossil discovered in Asia, can be observed together with fossilized bird tracks. At the time of its discovery, Haenamichnus was the world’s largest known pterosaur track, with forefoot impressions measuring 330 mm in length and 110 mm in width, and hindfoot impressions measuring 350 mm in length and 105 mm in width. The bird tracks discovered alongside it were named Hwangsanipes choughi and Uhangrichnus chuni. They provide important evidence that the living environments of pterosaurs and birds overlapped at the time. Opened in 2007, the Haenam Dinosaur Museum is South Korea’s largest dinosaur museum, attracting around 200,000 visitors each year. In the eight exhibition halls on its first and second floors, the museum presents the Uhang-ri strata as well as skeletal fossils of dinosaurs and pterosaurs representing different geological periods. In particular, it houses Asia’s first and Korea’s only authentic Allosaurus fossil. The museum grounds also feature large life-size dinosaur sculptures, including one that appears to burst through the building, inspiring a vivid and dynamic visitor experience.

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5. 5

   Heritage site

   Tracksite of Birds and Dinosaurs in Gajin-ri, Jinju

   178-35, Jinui-ro, Jinseong-myeon, Jinju-si, Gyeongsangnam-do

   Stamp: Gyeongsangnamdo Science Education Institute Information Desk

   Established in 1974, the Gyeongsangnamdo Science Education Institute relocated to its current site in Gajin-ri, Jinseong-myeon, Jinju in 2007. A buried fossil-bearing layer was discovered during construction, leading to the creation of a distinctive exhibition hall that preserves the fossil site in its original state. The site displays the exposed strata in situ, preserving fossilized footprints that show dinosaurs and birds lived together about 100 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period of the Mesozoic Era, in an environment similar to a lakeshore today. The site has been designated as a Natural Monument in recognition of its great academic value. Visitors can also explore the institute’s science education facilities, including exhibits on physics, chemistry, and earth science, as well as a planetarium. It is an ideal place for children to experience both natural history and science in a single visit.

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6. 6

   Heritage site

   Tracksite of Pterosaurs, Birds, and Dinosaurs in Chungmugong-dong, Jinju

   22 Yeongcheongang-ro 68beon-gil, Jinju-si, Gyeongsangnam-do

   Stamp: Jinju Pterosaur Tracks Museum

   This tracksite was discovered during the construction of Jinju Innovation City. In recognition of the remarkable results of the subsequent excavations and their outstanding scientific value, it was designated as a Natural Monument in 2011. The Jinju Pterosaur Tracks Museum was built over it to protect the fossil site and opened in November 2019. The site serves as a space for education and research where visitors can encounter traces of pterosaurs, dinosaurs, and other animals that lived in the Jinju area during the Cretaceous Period, roughly 110 million years ago. With more than 2,500 identified pterosaur tracks, it is regarded as one of the world’s leading pterosaur tracksites. Many rare fossils have also been discovered alongside these tracks, including exceptionally well-preserved lizard tracks and the world’s smallest raptor tracks. The site is therefore considered an important source of evidence for reconstructing the ecosystem in which pterosaurs, dinosaurs, birds, and other animals lived together during the Cretaceous Period.

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7. 7

   Heritage site

   Tracksite of Dinosaurs and Birds in Deongmyeong-ri, Goseong

   618 Jaranman-ro, Hai-myeon, Goseong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do

   Stamp: Sangjogam Auto Camping Site

   The area around Sangjogam is known for its striking coastal landscape and sweeping views of Hallyeosudo Waterway along Korea’s southern coast. In 1982, the area gained fame when large numbers of fossilized dinosaur tracks from the Cretaceous Period of the Mesozoic Era were discovered here along the coast. More than 2,000 footprints of sauropods, ornithopods, and theropods have been identified across approximately six kilometers of coastal sedimentary layers. The site is now regarded as one of the world’s three major dinosaur tracksites, along with one in Brazil and another in Canada. The discovery of Mesozoic bird tracks gives the site exceptional academic significance. Together with the nearby Goseong Dinosaur Museum and Goseong Dino Play Center, visitors can walk along the coast in Sangjogam County Park and enjoy the sea cliffs, columnar joints, sea caves, and dinosaur tracks all in one place.

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