Archaeologists working at a site called Changnyeong, 240 kilometres south of Seoul (South Korea) have found what is believed to be a very well preserved oar, in mud land, which has been dated to 5,000 BCE. This find is being linked to fragments of a canoe type boat, which were found at the same site 6 years ago. Both the oar and the boat fragments were made from pine trees. Similar finds by archaeologists in Japan, in 1999, have led to the belief that there was an early form of trading between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
     Researcher Yoon On-Shik, freom the Gimhae National Museum, is quoted as saying "This is a very rare find, not only in South Korea but also in the world. We have to check with Chinese artifacts to confirm whether it is the oldest watercraft ever found in the world".

Sources: Straits Times, Canada.com (17 August 2010)