The tumuli of Daeseong-dong lie on a low hill above the Gimhae plain, close to the Nakdong river delta in the south-east of Korea. They are the royal cemetery of Geumgwan Gaya, one of the small kingdoms of the Gaya confederacy, which flourished alongside the better-known Three Kingdoms of the Korean peninsula, and for centuries after it was swallowed up by its neighbour Silla in 532, it was largely forgotten. Archaeology has changed that. Excavations show a wealthy society, strong on iron, which was exported to Japan and to the Chinese colonies to the north, and the burials contain armour, horse gear, pottery and iron ingots that served almost as currency. UNESCO listed the Gaya Tumuli in 2023.
The legend is even better than the facts. According to the old chronicles, six golden eggs descended from heaven in a box, and from the first came King Suro, who founded the kingdom. His queen, Heo Hwang-ok, is said to have sailed from a distant land called Ayuta, which many Koreans identify with India, and a large share of the country's Kim family trace their line to the pair. Visitors from India occasionally arrive to see her tomb, and a friendly bond exists between the two places.
Riding here is gentle and flat, a contrast with Korea's mountains. The city of Gimhae is a sprawl of industry, apartment blocks and rice paddies, with wide boulevards and heavy traffic, and the airport for Busan lies close by. The best weather comes in late spring and autumn, while summer is humid and the monsoon rains arrive in July. Winter can be cold but is often dry and sunny. Roads are good and well signed, and speed cameras are common, so watch the limits.
Fuel is simple. Gimhae is a city of more than three hundred thousand with stations on every main road, and expressways run to Busan and Changwon. Look for a bowl of dwaeji gukbap, the pork and rice soup that Busan made famous, in a small restaurant near the old market.
The tumuli themselves are low, grassy mounds on a ridge with a view of the plain, quiet in the morning, with a museum nearby that tells the story of the Gaya in some detail.