By Han Eun-jung

Footprints of a Paleolithic man, the first to be found in Asia, and fossilized animal tracks dating back to about 50,000 years ago were discovered on Cheju Island, the Cultural Properties Administration said at a press briefing in Seoul on Friday.

More than 100 footprints of ancient man and thousands of horse, elephant, bird and deer fossil tracks were found in Namcheju-gun on the southern island province of Cheju and along the shores of the island’s Andok-myon.

The fossils were discovered by Professor Kim Jung-yul of the Korean National University of Education last October when he was conducting studies on the fossils of mammals and birds. Some 1,000 fossils of deer and 200 fossils of birds were discovered. Also found were the fossils of mollusks, anthropods and plants.

Footprints of Paleothic man are a rare sight and have been seen in only six other countries _ Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Chile, France and Italy _ to date.

The human footprints that Kim found are of 21-25 centimeters in length, and the imprints of the foot are clearer than those found in Kenya and Tanzania. Not only are the heel and ball of the foot evident in the imprints but the imprint of the medial arch is also explicit.

``This discovery is evidence that Paleothic man lived in the Cheju area, and it is also important data that can help in understanding the body build of ancient man,’’ Kim said.

Horse fossil tracks, which have been found only in the United States and Tanzania, and elephant footprints, reported to have been seen in the U.S., Tanzania, Argentina and Japan are also rare discoveries.

The collection was uncovered from the geological stratum that formed in the late Pleistocene, which falls under the quaternary stage of the Cenozoic Era.

The Culture Properties Administration is considering naming the area a national monument and has restricted entrance as of Feb. 5 in an effort to preserve the fossils.

ejh09@koreatimes.co.kr