Tomb mural paintings, a glimpse of the time-honored history and the outstanding wisdom of the nation, vividly show till today the patriotic martial spirit of the then people such as their intrepid disposition and the social custom of enjoying and practicing martial arts.

The spirit is illustrated by the tomb mural paintings showing ssirum (Korean wrestling), hunting, archery, sword and spear games and practices.

Mural paintings of Yaksu-ri Tomb, Taean-ri Tomb No. 1 and other tombs vividly describe vivacious hunting games and Jangchon Tomb No. 1 a feature of wrestlers watching for a chance to overpower the opponent.

The features of hunters clearly prove that hunting was not for mere existence but for practicing martial arts.

The mural of the Phalchong-ri Tomb clearly shows two swordsmen wielding long swords and a mural of the Mausoleum of King Kogukwon (Anak Tomb No. 3) two stalwarts going to strike each other with their hands raised high.

As seen above, the mural paintings of ancient tombs indicate that Koguryo thoroughly subordinated civilian sports activities to the military purpose, to say nothing of the military training of soldiers for increasing military power and that such martial spirit always pervaded the country.

Sixty-three mural tombs of Koguryo, a pride of the Korean nation, representing the developed culture in the northeastern Asia in the Middle Ages, were registered on the list of the world heritage at the 28th meeting of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO held in July 2004.