Archaeological Site in Wanggung-ri
Archaeological Site in Wanggung-ri, Iksan, ruins of the King Mu’s royal palace
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Planning the visit
Archaeological Site in Wanggung-ri is stop 7 of 7 on the Baekje Antiquity Route.
The stamp is not at the site itself but at the Information desk at the Baekje Royal Palace Museum (1F, near the entrance), so check the opening hours of that building rather than the site.
Opening hours are 09:00-18:00 (Closed every Monday, New Year’s Day).
The two closest stamp points are Mireuksa Temple Site, 5.5 km away, and National Intangible Heritage Center at 20 km. All three fit into one day.
Details
- Address
- 666, Gungseong-ro, Wanggung-myeon, Iksan-si, Jeollabuk-do
- Stamp zone
- Information desk at the Baekje Royal Palace Museum (1F, near the entrance)
- Hours
- 09:00-18:00 (Closed every Monday, New Year’s Day)
- Phone
- 063-859-4631
- Coordinates
- 35.97403, 127.06945
What the campaign says about it
Along with Mireuksa Temple Site in Iksan, the Archaeological Site in Wanggung-ri is one of the largest heritage sites from the Baekje period. According to research, King Mu of Baekje built a royal palace in Wanggung-ri. Most of its main buildings, however, were later demolished and the site was turned into a Buddhist temple. During the excavation process, archaeologists identified the foundations of buildings related to the royal palace, its gardens, toilets, and exterior walls. The foundations proved that Wanggung-ri was the royal capital or at least it had direct connections to the royal capital of Baekje. The Archaeological Site in Wanggung-ri are a highly valuable resource in that they offer historians the only means of understanding how Baekje built its royal palaces, and in that it supports the argument that Baekje had moved its capital to Iksan or had set up an additional capital in the area. The massive palaces are, of course, long gone, but there are some valuable relics remaining at the Archaeological Site in Wanggung-ri, including the Iksan Wanggung-ri Five-story Stone Pagoda (national treasure) presumed to have been built in the early years of Goryeo. The site also features a museum that showcases relics from the Baekje period. The museum has models, maps, videos, and relics that give visitors a chance to re-imagine what royal palaces would have looked like in Baekje. Five-story Stone Pagoda in Wanggung-ri, Iksan This Stone Pagoda was dismantled and repaired in 1965. During this process, its foundation and base, which had been buried underground, were uncovered, which helped restore the Pagoda to its original form. The base is made of octagonal cornerstones at the four corners, which serve as pillars, and between the pillars, large rectangular stone blocks have been stacked in a zigzag pattern to replicate the shape of a wooden pagoda.
Quoted from the Visit Korean Heritage Campaign.
Getting there
Get off at the KTX Iksan station → Take bus no. 65 (regular bus) at the “Iksan station” bus stop → Get off at the Baekje Royal Palace Museum bus station → Walk for 4 minutes
Photographs
Photographs supplied by the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation.