Old metal type unearthed in ancient palace site in N.Korea

A joint team of South and North Korean historians and archaeologists have unearthed a piece of metal type at the site of an ancient palace in the North's border city of Kaesong.

The South Korean historians, who just wrapped up the six-month inter-Korean excavation project, said that the movable metal type piece was one among some 3,500 relics that have been excavated at the site of Manwoldae, a Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) palace in Kaesong.

The joint inter-Korean excavation team kicked off the project on June 1 to uncover the site of Manwoldae which is believed to have burnt down in the mid-14th century. The site was designated as a U.N. world cultural heritage in 2013.

The historians say the metal type is presumed to have been created before the mid-14th century, but more study is needed to determine when it was produced.