This study examines the distribution and characteristics of glass and carnelian beads excavated from the Mahan–Paekche region from the third to the early fifth century CE. Based on a dataset of 140,503 beads recovered from 103 archaeological sites, it identifies key patterns in material selection, bead composition, and mortuary deposition practices. The analysis shows that burial assemblages in the Mahan–Paekche region wereconsistently centered on round beads, including spherical and annular types, regardless of raw material. A marked preference for reddish, rounded beads is also evident, suggesting that beads were deliberately selected for funerary use. At the site level, tombs containing large quantities of beads tend to occur in communities that were strategically positioned to access bead supply networks and had the socio-economic capacity to mobilize these resources in mortuary contexts. Network analysis identifies three principal site clusters: those dominated by reddish-brown round beads, those characterized by assemblages of dark blue and bluish-green round beads, and those with a high proportion of carnelian beads. The configuration of these clusters reflects broader historical processes, including the social orientation of groups that played leading roles in bead burial practices and changes in mortuary customs associated with the expanding influence of Paekche.