Why Go: A Village Uncovered Twice by Floods

The Amsa-dong site was first uncovered by the Eulchuk Year Great Flood of 1925, and a hundred years later, this land remains what it always was — a sandy riverside hill along the Han River, periodically prone to flooding.

Key takeaways

First-time visitors to the Amsa-dong Prehistoric Site picture a family-friendly park with ten reconstructed pit houses and children's activity programs. But the event that first brought this village to the world's attention was the Eulchuk Year Great Flood of 1925. Fact The flood severely gouged the sandy riverside hills along the Han River, exposing large quantities of Jeulmun pottery (a distinctive comb-pattern pottery style from Korea's Neolithic period) and revealing that this area had once been a Neolithic village. Fact This area was part of a floodplain subject to periodic flooding, and that same geographic condition continues today. Fact It's no coincidence that, as of 2026, a project to develop the land around the site into a park is rushing toward completion ahead of a May 2026 deadline, after which its urban-planning designation would expire. Fact

FIT TRIP reads this site as a village uncovered twice by floods. The first time was in 1925, when a great flood revealed it to the world; the second is an ongoing condition — the fact that this land remains a floodplain to this day.

What the postcard image misses

"A pit-house experience park" tells only half this site's story. FIT TRIP asks the sharper question: how did this village come to be known, and what condition is this land still wrestling with a century later?

✅ Before you go

The Gangdong Prehistoric Culture Festival in October draws extremely large crowds
Amsa History Park Station (Line 5) is closer to the site than Amsa Station (Line 8)
Confirm visiting hours for Exhibition Hall 1 and Exhibition Hall 2 in advance
Outdoor pit-house viewing may be restricted during summer rain

FAQ

Q: Was the Amsa-dong site always a well-known archaeological site?

A: No. It was first revealed when the Eulchuk Year Great Flood of 1925 exposed large quantities of artifacts, and formal excavation didn't begin until 1971. Fact

Q: Is excavation still ongoing today?

A: Beyond the initial 1971–1975 excavation, additional surveys took place in 1983–84, 1998, 2005 and 2008, and 2015–2018. Fact