North Korea has announced the excavation of a Balhae-era tomb mural.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency said that a person in white spats and shoes was depicted in the painting, which was found in a Geumsungri ancient tomb in North Hamkyung Province.

According to the KCNA report, North Korean scholars were reportedly certain that the mural was painted during the Balhae Kingdom era, adding that other remains excavated along with the mural, such as bronze nails and ink stones, were typical relics of the time.

The Geumsungri area, which was designated by the North as a preservation site, is rich with ancient tombs of Balhae, a kingdom that prospered for 229 years from 698 to 926 A.D. in the Manchurian region of East Asia.