A tourist takes a photo of a projecion of a gold crown on the Hwangnam Daechon Tomb at Daereungwon in Gyeongju. — The Korea Herald/ANN
SUMMER 1973. The sights and sounds of excavations descended on Gyeongju, in the southeastern part of South Korea, turning the entire city into a massive archaeological project. If a Korean movie studio ever decides to make its own version of Indiana Jones, they would not have to search much for opening-scene inspiration.
The “comprehensive tourist development” of the ancient royal capital of Silla, a pet project of then President Park Chung-hee, triggered the cacophony. Famously called “the museum without walls,” Gyeongju needed to look into its ubiquitous underground remains before any construction work could begin.
