Deep inside a hazardous zone once marked for landmine detection on Mount Geumseong in Naju, around 280 kilometers south of Seoul, archaeologists have uncovered what is now confirmed to be the oldest surviving gunpowder weapon in Korea. The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage said Monday that a three-year study has authenticated the artifact, known as the "Hwangja Hwatong" or Yellow-Character Hand Cannon. Measuring just under 25 centimeters long and weighing roughly 1 kilogram, the bronze handheld firearm offers unprecedented insight into early East Asian military technology. "This is an extraordinary discovery with immense academic, historical and cultural value," Cho Mi-soon, director of the National Naju Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, said during a press briefing at the National Palace Museum of Korea. "It comes from a crucial transitional period between the late Goryeo and early Joseon dynasties, when physical artifacts of firearms are exceptionally rare." A detailed reading of a 28-character inscription etched onto the barrel revealed the weapon’s exact speci