Gongsanseong Fortress
공산성
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.
Language
Place information
- Korean name
- 공산성
- Address
- 2 Sanseong-dong, Gongju-si, Chungcheongnam-do
History
until 538
The walled capital of Ungjin Baekje
It served as Baekje's walled capital until the court moved to Buyeo in 538, the sixteenth year of King Seong. Under Baekje it was called Ungjinseong.
660
After the fall, and the restoration movement
King Uija stayed here briefly immediately after Baekje fell, and the fortress then became a base of the Baekje restoration movement.
822
The revolt of Kim Heon-chang
Kim Heon-chang's revolt broke out here during the Unified Silla period.
1623
Yi Gwal's revolt and King Injo's flight
King Injo fled here during Yi Gwal's revolt. From his reign onward the fortress was known as Ssangsusanseong.
21 January 1963
Designated a Historic Site
Designated as a Historic Site covering 376,645.3 square metres.
1993
The east and west gates rebuilt
Yeongdongnu was rebuilt on the east gate site and Geumseoru on the west, both of which had survived only as foundations. The south gate Jinnamnu and the north gate Gongbungnu were still standing.
2015
Inscribed as World Heritage
Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of the eight sites making up the Baekje Historic Areas.
What to see
Gongbungnu, the north gate
The gate pavilion on the north wall. Stepping out of it put you at the ferry across the Geum River, so this one gate explains how the fortress sat against the water.
From earth to stone
Roughly 800 metres east to west and 400 north to south. It began as an earthen rampart and was rebuilt in stone under Joseon, so the wall you walk today runs Baekje work into Joseon work.
Gongbungnu, the north gate selected
Nearby
Tomb of King Muryeong and Royal Tombs in Gongju
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.
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.
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.
Daejeon Convention Center
The convention centre at Doryong-dong in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, split across two buildings with two different addresses. The ticket names which hall, and that is the thing to read.
Stories about this place
- Gongsanseong: The Capital Baekje Built After Losing One
Gongsanseong is not a site Baekje chose; it is a site Baekje was pushed to. That shows in the shape — a fortress with its back to the river, wrapped around valleys — and it explains why the hill kept being used long after the court left. It was a capital briefly and a fortress for far longer.
Nearby Food
- Four Jeonju Bibimbap Houses and a Bean-Sprout Soup: Three in One Lane, One 4.7 km Out
- How to Find Regional Food in Korea
- A Guide to Banchan — The Name Records How It Was Made, Not Whether You Ordered It
- A Guide to Korean Noodles — What They Are Pulled From, and How They Arrive
- How to Read Korean Soup Names: Guk, Tang, Jjigae and Jeongol
- A First-Timer's Guide to Choosing Korean Food
Travel Guides
- How to Use Korean Convenience Stores: From Heating a Meal to Topping Up a Transit Card
- At a Korean Convenience Store, the Thing to Read Is the Package
- Eating Alone in Korea: Choosing and Ordering a Meal
- How to Order Korean BBQ
- Emergency Numbers and Safety in Korea
- Staying Healthy While Travelling in Korea
Related articles
- Three Places to Visit in Andong: Hahoe Village, Buyongdae and Byeongsan Seowon
- Four drama filming locations in Suwon — one fortress carries four shows, the other three carry one each
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- Cheonmachong: four National Treasures out of a practice dig
- Geumgwanchong: found while digging house foundations, and the king named on the scabbard is still unidentified
