Gongju (공주,公州), formerly romanised as Kongju, is a city in South Chungcheong province, South Korea. Gongju is a major tourism drawcard of the South Chungcheong area, particularly amongst Japanese tourists of certain ethnic descent, curious about their ancient roots. Or perhaps simply straying from the hot springs resort down the road.

Understand

Flags of a fallen kingdom.

Map of central Gongju.

Gongju is the former capital of the Baekje Kingdom during Korea's Three Kingdoms period. Whilst the Baekje Dynasty lasted for a total of 678 years from 660 BC to 18 AD, Gongju, referred to at the time as Ungjin, remained the capital for much of that time, with power finally being handed to adjacent Buyeo in 538 AD and staying there until Korea's unification under the southern Silla Dynasty. In the years prior to the Silla invasion many Baekje citizens fled to modern-day Japan.

It is also one of the many players in the seemingly never-ending struggle to move South Korea's administrative capital out of Seoul, with the greater Gongju are having featured in two of the four top propositions for a new capital.

Tourist information

Maps and brochures as well as English-speaking staff exist at a tourism information booth outside the main west entrance of Gongsan Fortress, as well as a second at the entrance to the Songsan-ri Burial Mounds.

• Gongju Tourist Information Center, ☏ +82 41-856-7700, fax: +82 41-840-2548. 
• Tourism and Festival Division, ☏ +82 41-840-2836. 
• Historical Sites Management Office, ☏ +82 41-856-0331, fax: +82 41-840-2546. 

Orientation

Gongju city proper is bisected east-west by the Geumgang River, with Gongsan Fortress on its southern bank providing a focal point which the city wraps around.

The greater administrative region of Gongju-si on the other hand extends considerably further south, encompassing the entirety of Gyeryongsan National Park and including a few small towns wedged between the reserve and Daejeon to the southeast.

Get in

By bus

Intercity buses service Gongju from both Daejeon's Seobu and Dongbu intercity bus terminals every 30 to 50 minutes with all also stopping by the Yuseong intercity terminal en route. Tickets from Yuseong cost ₩2,900 and take about 20 minutes.

Further services run every 45 minutes direct from Seoul for ₩8,600, as well as from Osan, Suwon, Cheongju and Buyeo.

At the other end, Gongju's "old" intercity bus terminal is a mere 200 m south of the main entrance to Gongsan Fortress. Note that in open defiance of the label, the "old" bus terminal is still very much in use and far more central than the primary one, which is on the north bank of the Geumgang River, opposite Gongsan Fortress.

By car

The city is 125 km from Seoul and lies on the Cheonan-Nonsan Highway (route #25); switch from the Gyeongbu Highway (route #1) at Cheonan. Gongju is also accessible via route #36 from Cheongju and route #32 from Daejeon.

Get around

By bus

Gongju has its own inner-city (shin-nae, 시내) bus system.

By bike

Gongju has its own public-use inner-city bike system. One set of racks exists outside the Baekje Burial Mounds complex (left of the front gate).

On foot

The primary historical attractions including the Songsan-ri Burial Mounds, Gongju National Museum and Gongsan Fortress can all be easily be covered on foot, and are no more than a 10 minute walk from one another. The first and third of these are some of the Baekje Historic Areas on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

See

Lotus Pond and Manharu Pavilion in Gongsan Fortess.

Intricate stonework in the (replica of) King Muryeong's Tomb.

Outoor exhibits of Gongju National Museum.

• Gongsan Fortress (Gongsanseong, 공산성). A 1,500-year-old mountain-top fortress looming over the Geumgang River. You might need a decent amount of imagination to get the most out of this place, as much of the fortress is a series fenced off grassy rectangles marking the estimated site of the ancient Baekje Royal Palace and associated structures. A decent amount of information is provided around the various sites in both Korean and English. Perhaps the most architecturally unusual part of the fortress is the Lotus Pond (Yeonji, 연지) Also contains Yeongeunsa Temple and Baekje Folk Village Land the latter of which is, much of the year, little more than a humongous carpark but hosts an annual festival (see Do). If you visit outside of the festival, it doesn't mean you can't join the locals in merrily tossing stones at the archery targets around the perimeter. Adults ₩3000. 
• Changing of the Guards, South gate of Gongsan Fortress. 11AM-4PM. A show held every Saturday and Sunday in April, May, June, September and October each year. 
• Songsan-ri Burial Mounds (Songsanri gobungun, 송산리고분군), Beonji 120, Gyo-dong (bus routes #1 and #25. On foot, its about a 10 minutes walk from Gongsan Fortress; follow the major road east through the humongous arch outside the main gate), ☏ +82 41-840-2836, fax: +82 41-840-2848. Daily 09:00-18:00, 09:00-17:00 in winter. A series of 7 tombs, 6 of which were discovered and suibsequently looted during the 1910-1945 Japanese occupation and as such their owners remain unknown. The 7th however, the Tomb of King Muryeong (Muryeong wangreung, 무령왕릉), was accidentally discovered by a Korean historian in 1971 and as such both the relics within, and the identity of the tombs owner were recovered and thus making it the star attraction of the city. Well, at least it would be if it weren't locked up tight behind an opaque door along with the rest of the tombs. You are however free to poke around a scale reproduction of Muryeong's tomb as well as tombs #5 and #6 in the adjacent grassy knoll. Extensive information in Korean, English and Japanese. Adults ₩3000. 
• 1 Gongju National Museum (Gukrib gongju bakmulgwan, 국립공주박물관), Jeongjisa-gil 30, Ungjin-dong 360 (bus route #8; on foot, follow the road around the hill north of the Songsan-ri Burial Mounds, or walk the signposted trail direct from behind tomb #1), ☏ +82 41-850-6300. M-F 09:00-18:00, Sa Su holidays 09:00-19:00 with some extended Saturday hours during vacation periods. Museum housing many of the actual artefacts recovered from King Muryeong's tomb. The treasures are unusual in that they are primarily metalcrafts, including pottery, swords, jewelry crafted from gold, silver and burnt-wood and some excruciatingly uncomfortable looking pairs of bronze shoes. Upstairs a second exhibit focuses on the ancient culture of South Chungcheong Province. Admission requires a ticket, but tickets are free. 
• Jeongjisan Relic Site (Jeongjisan yujeok, 정지산 유적), San No.1 Gumseong-dong (follow the well-signposted but unsealed path from the back part of the burial mound complex, or alternatively, climb the sealed road beside the highway bridge over the Geumgang River). The only relics you'll find here are the traces of local residents having foraged for medicinal plants to sell at the markets, as the hill itself, deemed the likely site of Binjeon Hall — a hall where the body of King Muryeong and his queen had been placed for 27 months prior to the funeral — actually stands empty and bare. Regardless, the hill provides quite possibly the best view of both the Geumgang River and Gongsan Fortress in the entire town. Free. 
• Hannok Village, 충남 공주시 관광단지길 12, ☏ +82 507-1433-2828. A new estate has been built between the Songsan-ri Burial Mounds and the Gongju National Museum in the traditional wooden hannok style, a true rarity in modern-day Korea. Makes for an interesting and convenient detour. Accommodation: ₩80,000-250,000. (updated Dec 2023)
• 2 Magoksa Temple (마곡사). A head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. One out of seven to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2018. 
• 3 Gyeryong Reservoir (계룡저수지), 1005, Hadae-ri, Gyeryong-myeon, ☏ +82 41-840-8857. It was created mainly for the purpose of supplying agricultural water. (updated Dec 2024)
• 4 Princess Metasequire Road in Gongju (공주 메타세콰이어길), 905-1 Cheongryong-ri, Uidang-myeon. The park was established in 2011. Since then, it has become a green tourist attraction in Gongju, attracting many tourists. There are 192 Metasequire trees in every 500 meter section. (updated Dec 2024)
• 5 Mir Island (미르섬), 368, Geumbyeok-ro. It is an artificially created island where you can enjoy the ecological preservation and natural scenery of the estuary of the Geumgang River. (updated Dec 2024)
• 6 Donghaksa Valley (동학사계곡), Hakbong-ri, Banpo-myeon, ☏ +82 41-853-2111. It runs about 3.5 kilometers from Hakbawi Rock to Gwaneumbong Pass. If you walk through the stream like a god at the entrance of the valley, visitors can reach Donghaksa Temple, where Gangwon-do of the nuns is located, and right underneath there is a temple dedicated to the founder of Silla and Park Jae-sang, the loyalist. (updated Dec 2024)
• 7 Catholic Stork Rock Pilgrimage Site (천주교황새바위순교성지), ☏ +82 41-854-6321. It is named because it is a place where many storks live because pine trees are stretched over the rock, and in one theory, it is also called the "Annex Rock" because sinners were dragged to the front of the rock by wearing anti-locks (a sword put on their necks) and executed. It is the place where Catholics who were tortured during the persecution of Catholics in the late Joseon Dynasty but did not worship until the end were executed and martyred. (updated Dec 2024)
• 8 Gongju Gomanaru (공주고마나루), Woongjin-dong. It means 'the ferry of bears' and is deeply related to the ferry culture developed along the Geumgang River of Gongju. (updated Dec 2024)
• 9 Doryeongseodang (도령서당), Duman-ri, Uidang-myeon, ☏ +82 41-854-3391. It is a traditional hanok seodang experience space where visitors can experience the old educational culture of Korea. It reproduces the seodang culture of the Joseon Dynasty so that visitors can experience Chinese literature education such as Cheonjamun, Saja Sohak, and Myeongsim Bogam. (updated Dec 2024)
• 10 Seonhwadang (선화당), Woongjin-dong, ☏ +82 41-856-7700. It is a government office established in the inspection of Chungcheong-do Observatory in the late Joseon Dynasty in the Gongju National Museum. (updated Dec 2024)
• 11 Gyeryongsan Joongakdan (계룡산중악단), 1, Shinwon Sadong-gil, Gyeryong-myeon, ☏ +82 41-852-4230. It is a Joseon Dynasty building designed to hold a rite to Gyeryong Sanshin by the state. On March 2, 1999, it was promoted to Korea's Treasure No. 1293. Sansindo is enshrined inside the building, which was made by reducing the palace style. (updated Dec 2024)
• 12 Gongju Forest Recreation Village (공주산림휴양마을), 222, Suwon Park-gil, ☏ +82 41-855-0855. 24 hr. It is a recreational forest in clean nature located in Gongju Forest Ecological Village. The surrounding facilities include wood culture experience center, Geumhak Ecological Park, and water source The native botanical gardens and campsites are under construction. (updated Dec 2024)

Do

• Baekje Cultural Festival, Baekje Folk Village Land in Gongsan Fortress. Advertised as one of Korea's three national festivals (the other two representing the Silla and Goguryeo Dynasties), this is held in both Gongju city and adjacent Buyeo annually from mid-September to mid-October. The Gomanaru National Drama Contest is held at a similar time. 
• Archery. There's an archery range between the Hannok village and Gongju National Museum. 

Hike

• Gyeryongsan National Park. This park takes up the far south-eastern portion of Gongju-si. Access to the extensive hiking trails is most convenient via Kap-sa Temple or Shinwon-sa Hermitage. Donghak-sa Temple on the east side of the range also provides access but requires a commute around the entire national park unless coming from Daejeon. 

Eat

1 Maehyang, 18, Baekmigoeul-Gil, ☏ +82 31-881-3161. Traditional Korean cuisine. (updated Oct 2023)

Drink

In Singwan many foreigners frequent Iyagi Kage (referred to by foreigners as Art Bar.) It is located above pasta buono on the third floor, across the street from CNA.

Sleep

Gongju provided accommodation to adjacent Daejeon during the Taejon Expo '93, with many of the motels clustered around the (Old) Intercity Bus Terminal.

2 Number 25 Gongju Shingwan, Jeonmak 1-gil, ☏ +82 41-856-2987. (updated Oct 2023)

Go next

• Daejeon - the nearest major metropolitan city, located on the other side of Gyeryongsan National Park and roughly 20 minutes away by intercity bus.
• Buyeo - southwest of Gongju and the final capital of the Kingdom of Baekje, and with its own national museum.
• Cheonan/Asan - on the KTX line just to the north, and home of the Independence Hall, South Korea's largest museum.
• Nonsan - south of Gongju and on the KTX.