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Tomb of King Muryeong and Royal Tombs in Gongju

공주 무령왕릉과 왕릉원

Seven royal tombs of Ungjin-period Baekje on the south slope of Songsan. One of them, the tomb of King Muryeong, was found with its own memorial tablets, making it one of very few Three Kingdoms tombs whose occupant and date are known. It was long called the Songsan-ri tombs.

Language

The royal tomb park in Gongju seen from above: grass-covered burial mounds set along a south-facing slope among pines, a tomb entrance visible below the nearest mound, and the town of Gongju spread out in the distance on the right

Place information

Korean name
공주 무령왕릉과 왕릉원
Address
San 5-1 Geumseong-dong, Gongju-si, Chungcheongnam-do
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History

  1. Ungjin-period Baekje

    Seven royal tombs

    Seven tombs lie on the south-facing mid-slope below Songsan, a hill of about 120 metres. West of the valley are the tomb of King Muryeong and tombs 5 and 6; north-east of it are tombs 1 to 4.

  2. the colonial period

    Tombs 1 to 6 investigated

    Tombs 1 to 6 were investigated and their structure and type established. Tombs 1 to 4 had already been robbed before the work began.

  3. 21 January 1963

    Designated a Historic Site

    Designated as a Historic Site covering 541,524.4 square metres.

  4. 1971

    The tomb of King Muryeong is found

    The tomb was found during repair work on tombs 5 and 6. Its chamber walls carry five lamp niches, and among the many finds were the memorial tablets that name the occupant.

  5. structure

    Two brick tombs

    Tomb 6 and King Muryeong's tomb are the surviving Baekje brick tombs. Their walls alternate courses of lotus-patterned bricks laid flat and on end — a form read as Chinese influence — while the Four Guardians and sun-and-moon murals in tomb 6 are read as Goguryeo influence.

  6. 2015

    Inscribed as World Heritage

    Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of the eight sites making up the Baekje Historic Areas.

Korea Heritage Portal — Historic Site: Tomb of King Muryeong and Royal Tombs in Gongju (designated 21 January 1963, 541,524.4 m2, seven tombs) ·

What to see

The tomb of King Muryeong

The memorial tablets found inside fix its date, which is why it is treated as an absolute-date reference for the study of Baekje society and culture.

The tomb of King Muryeong selected

Nearby

Gongju National Museum from above: a long, low white building set below a wooded hill, a row of tall narrow windows across its front, with the approach path and car park running toward it

Gongju National Museum

The national museum that holds the finds from the tomb of King Muryeong. It stands a short way west of the tomb park, so seeing the tombs and then seeing what was inside them falls into an easy order.

The World Heritage marker stone reading Gongsanseong at the entrance, with the stone rampart curving up the hill behind it, flags set along the wall, and the tiled roof of the Geumseoru gate standing above on the right

Gongsanseong Fortress

A fortress wrapping the valleys of a low hill on the south bank of the Geum River. It was the walled capital while Baekje's court sat at Ungjin, and remained a seat of provincial administration into the Joseon period. Originally earthen, it was rebuilt in stone under Joseon.

The Yuseong foot spa at night, people sitting along the stone-lined channel with their feet in the water under parasols, their shoes left on the path

Yuseong Hot Springs

The hot-spring quarter around Bongmyeong-dong in Daejeon's Yuseong district: hotels and bathhouses drawing on alkaline spring water of 27–56°C, plus a free public foot spa in the park that is separate from all of them. The quarter is not one facility, so prices and closing days belong to the individual businesses.

Buyeo Royal Tombs

Seven Baekje tombs on the south slope of Neungsan, set in two rows front and back. The ground has long been known as royal tombs, and finds from the temple site west of them reconfirmed it as a royal burial area. UNESCO lists it as the royal tombs in Neungsan-ri; the name the Korea Heritage Service uses today is Buyeo Royal Tombs.

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Where these facts come from