Gongsanseong Fortress, Gongju [UNESCO World Heritage]

About this place

Gongsanseong is the representative Baekje-era fortress that guarded Gongju when it served as the Baekje capital. It functioned as the Baekje royal capital until 538, the 16th year of King Seong, when the capital was moved to Buyeo; thereafter it remained an important local administrative centre through the Joseon period. A valley-encircling (pokok) mountain fortress along the Geum River, it was originally an earthen wall (toseong) later rebuilt in stone during the Joseon era. The precise date of construction is unknown; in the Baekje period it was called Ungjinseong, in the Goryeo period Gongju Sanseong or Gongsanseong, and after King Injo took refuge there during Yi Gwal's Rebellion (1623) it was renamed Ssangsusanseong. Shortly after Baekje fell, King Uija briefly sheltered here, and it also served as a base of the Baekje Restoration Movement. During the Unified Silla period it was the site of Kim Heonchang's Rebellion (822). The fortress forms a rough rectangle about 800 m (E–W) × 400 m (N–S). Four gate sites are confirmed; the south gate Jinnamnu and north gate Gongnungnu survive, while east and west gates were rebuilt in 1993 as Yeongdongnu and Geumseongu respectively. Defensive features including암문 (secret gates), 치성 (projecting towers), 고대 (observation posts), 장대 (command posts), and 수구문 (water gates) remain. Inside the fortress stand Ssangssujeong Pavilion, Yeongeunsa Temple, a lotus pond (yeonji), and the sites of Imnyugakji and Manharujji. Walking along the ramparts offers a sweeping view of Gongju city.