Utilizing Remote Sensing for the Investigation of North Korean Cultural Heritage: A Case of Unregistered Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty in North Korea

This study explores the potential of remote sensing as a method for investigating North Korean cultural heritage, which remains largely inaccessible to South Korean researchers despite its critical importance for understanding the Korean Peninsula’s past. In particular, it focuses on the use of Google Earth, which provides easy and extensive access to very high-resolution satellite imagery at no cost. North Korea is home to two royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty that are excluded from South Korea’s UNESCO World Heritage inscription. A preliminary survey using Google Earth revealed that although detailed structures were difficult to discern, key elements such as burial mounds, platforms, and their spatial layout were identifiable. These findings suggest that Google Earth can be effectively utilized as a preliminary survey tool for North Korean heritage. However, due to its limitations in identifying unknown or poorly located sites, this study proposes future research utilizing AI-based methods—specifically Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs)—to enhance automated detection capabilities.