January 25,2013
Many scholars are worried about the historical artifact since it is kept out of public access at a local museum.
Report: The first memorial monument of King Gwanggaeto the Great is in China's Jirin province. It documents the territorial expansion of Korea's ancient kingdom of Goruryeo in the late 4th century.
Another stone monument of the Goguryeo era was found last July in the same province. As it was publicized by media this month, archaeologists are paying great attention to the historical artifact, calling it "the second monument for the Goguryeo king."
China is currently conducting closed-door research on the artifact by a team consisting of academics and cultural asset preservation officials. Many of them are confirmed to have been involved in Beijing's project aimed at incorporating the history of the Goguryeo dynasty of Korea into Chinese history.
China pushed forward a state-led project to incorporate into its own all histories of ancient kingdoms that existed on its current territory. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a think tank directly under the State Council, led this project from 2002 to 2006.
In a phone interview with Seoul-based Yonhap News, an official at the Chinese museum said the newly found monument is currently in its possession. The museum said it's temporarily closed for renovations.
Many archaeologists are worried because China might try to interpret the historical significance of the memorial stone to their advantage. Some even began speculating that given the sensitive nature of the artifact, Chinese authorities could have shut down the museum for closed-door research.
