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Gongju and Buyeo for First-Time Visitors: Korea's Baekje Kingdom Sites
Level
A2
Type
Guide
Theme
Travel
작성자
Y
작성시각
Long before Seoul or Gyeongju became household names, a kingdom called Baekje ruled a large part of the Korean peninsula for 700 years. Its last two capitals were Gongju and Buyeo, two quiet cities in Chungcheongnam-do that hold royal tombs, fortress walls, and temple ruins from a kingdom few travelers ever learn about in school.
Getting there
From Seoul, an intercity bus from the Express Bus Terminal runs to Gongju in under two hours. Trains connect to Gongju Station too, but the bus terminal is closer to the historic sites, so most people take the bus straight there instead. Gongju and Buyeo are connected by their own intercity bus, taking under an hour, which makes it easy to visit both cities in a single day trip or spread them across two.
Gongju: Where Baekje's King Rests
Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning |
백제 | baek-jje | Baekje (the kingdom) |
공산성 | gong-san-seong | Gongsanseong Fortress |
무령왕릉 | mu-ryeong-wang-neung | Tomb of King Muryeong |
Baekje moved its capital to Ungjin, present-day Gongju, in 475 CE after losing its earlier capital near modern Seoul. 공산성, a hilltop fortress beside the Geumgang River, was the heart of that new capital. Nearby, the 무령왕릉 stands among a cluster of royal tombs. It was found completely by accident in 1971, during drainage work on a neighboring tomb. That discovery turned out to be the only Baekje royal tomb ever found with its occupant's identity confirmed, thanks to a stone memorial tablet buried inside. Close to 4,600 artifacts came out of that single tomb, and many of them are now on display at the Gongju National Museum a short walk away.
Buyeo: The Kingdom's Final Chapter
Korean | Pronunciation | Meaning |
부소산성 | bu-so-san-seong | Busosanseong Fortress |
정림사지 | jeong-nim-sa-ji | Jeongnimsa Temple Site |
유네스코 세계유산 | yu-ne-seu-ko se-gye-yu-san | UNESCO World Heritage |
In 538 CE, Baekje moved its capital again, this time to Buyeo, then called Sabi. 부소산성 sits on a hill above the city, the place where Baekje's last king made his final stand before the kingdom fell. 정림사지 has no temple buildings left standing, but its five-story stone pagoda has stood in the open field for over 1,300 years. The Buyeo National Museum holds the Baekje Gilt-bronze Incense Burner, one of the most detailed metal artifacts to survive from any of Korea's Three Kingdoms. Together with the sites in Gongju, these locations make up the 유네스코 세계유산 known as the Baekje Historic Areas, added to the list in 2015.
Planning Your Visit
Gongju's sites are close enough together to see on foot, while Buyeo is more spread out, so renting a bicycle or taking the local tour bus helps there. Neither city gets crowded with tour groups the way Gyeongju sometimes does. The people you'll see here are mostly Korean history students and a scattering of curious travelers, so the fortress paths and museum halls stay quiet even on weekends.
A day trip from Seoul covers Gongju comfortably, but pairing it with Buyeo gives a fuller picture of Baekje's three capitals and how the kingdom eventually fell.