Gyeonggi Province is located in a unique position surrounding Seoul, the capital of Korea full of lively dynamism. Jeongok-ri, Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi Province is the site where Acheulean hand axes (the first of its kind unearthed in Asia) were found in 1977. At that time, the find sent a shock wave throughout the world’s archeological circles. 

A visitor to the Hantan River marvels at the breathtaking view of the cliff formed with torrents of lava that gushed from below the Earth’s crust hundreds of thousands of years ago and the strata that keeps the secret of geological age. The Gyeonggi Provincial Office plans to make the strata of the cliff part of the Prehistory Museum that it is going to build at the site of the find in Jeongok-ri. 

Thus, the provincial office plans to hold an open international competition bid for architectural design of Prehistory Museum. Entries will be examined by judges recommended by the UIA (Union International des Architectes = International Union of Architects). The result of the examination will be announced towards the end of March 2006. The work for the museum is scheduled to be completed by December 2009 through the process of fixing the implementation design (to be finished by 2007) based on the Grand Prize winning work. 

Upon completion, the museum is expected to attract attention as one built near the site of the Acheulean hand axes (the first of its kind unearthed in Asia) and which will compare favorably with the remains from the Old Stone Age found in China or Japan. 

The provincial office expects that many skilled architectural designers participate in the bid. It is also hopeful that the museum will be a leading tourist attraction in the northern part of the province in connection with its effort to preserve the historical site as it is without causing damage to it.