Archaeologists in North Korea have uncovered ancient salt facilities dating back about 5,000 to 5,500 years at a site in the Woneup Workers’ District of Onchon County, Nampo, according to a state press release. The discovery includes brine storage pits and salt-boiling installations from both the Bronze Age and the Neolithic period, placing all key details tied to the title at the center of the find.
The excavation was carried out by a research team from the Archaeology Institute of the Academy of Social Sciences. The team said the site is the first known discovery in the country of salt-production remains from those two prehistoric periods.
Brine pits reveal two prehistoric occupation layers
Researchers found that the brine storage feature had a hemispherical shape suited for holding salt water.
The structure was divided into two cultural layers. In the upper layer, archaeologists found a hardened mud surface once used to store brine, along with fragments of Bronze Age funnel-shaped pottery.
Archaeologists in North Korea found salt facilities and brine pits that show prehistoric salt production from 5,000 years ago. pic.twitter.com/YeKiXiNg3k
— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) April 9, 2026
In the lower layer, they uncovered a thick clay deposit mixed with wood ash, which they said had been laid down for storing brine, along with pieces of Neolithic incised pottery.
The salt-boiling area also had two layers. In the upper layer, the team found a fired-pot installation with flues that was used to concentrate brine, together with Bronze Age funnel-shaped pottery fragments. In the lower layer, they found a similar installation without flues and pieces of Neolithic incised pottery.
Salt facilities in North Korea show seawater processing
To test whether the site had actually been used to make salt, the researchers compared the composition and salinity of soil from the brine storage feature with the surrounding soil. They said the soil inside the feature had much higher salinity, supporting the conclusion that the site was used for salt production.
The team also dated the pottery and said the finds from the upper layer belong to the Bronze Age about 5,000 years ago, while those from the lower layer date to the Neolithic Age about 5,500 years ago.
The Archaeological Society of North Korea reviewed the site’s layout and the analysis of the pottery and soil. It confirmed that the upper layer dates to about 5,000 years ago and the lower layer to about 5,500 years ago, and said the remains show that ancient people in the area produced salt by boiling seawater.
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