TAEAN, SOUTH KOREA—The Korea Herald reports that the wreckage of a Joseon-era cargo ship known as Mado 4 has been raised from the seafloor off South Korea’s western coast by researchers from South Korea’s National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage. The scientists have been analyzing and conserving the vessel for 10 years. The more than 120 artifacts recovered from the ship include wooden cargo tags marked with destinations, containers of rice, and porcelain. Such ships were used by the Joseon Dynasty, which ruled from 1392 to 1910, to collect taxes in the form of grain and official goods and transport them to Hanyang, the royal capital, now known as Seoul. Estimated to have sunk around 1420, the ship featured an innovative twin-mast design for speed and maneuverability, and had been repaired with iron nails. It had been previously thought that only wooden joints were employed at this time. To read about Joseon-period residences excavated in downtown Seoul, go to "A Soul of a City."
