Sindong Standing Stone (Menhir)
5-7 Simcheon-ro, Jicheon-myeon, Chilgok-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do
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A standing stone (menhir), also called seondeol in Korean, is an artifact from the Bronze Age that, together with dolmens, provides information about the lives of people of that era. Generally consisting of one or several large stone pillars erected on the ground, they served as boundary markers between tribes or as commemorative monuments that were objects of veneration. The standing stone in Chilgok-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do—4.5 m tall with a base circumference of 2 m—is known as the largest remaining menhir in Korea. The inscription 'Namu Amitabul' carved on it was added after Buddhism arrived, though the stone itself is considerably older. Plain pottery and stone vessels have been found in the cultivated land to the east of the stone, suggesting it was erected during the Bronze Age.