A monumental gateway unearthed at Gongsanseong Fortress in Gongju has provided the clearest archaeological outline yet of the royal palace used during Baekje’s Ungjin period. The Cultural Heritage Administration, South Chungcheong Province, Gongju City and Kongju National University presented the results on November 11, opening the excavation site and reconstructed artifacts to the public. The gateway itself was identified in 2019, while the latest presentation brings it together with years of excavation evidence to show how the palace complex was organized.
At the center of the findings is a formal palace entrance consisting of a road about 10 meters wide and large tower-like structures on both sides. One side measures approximately 40 meters east to west and 23 meters north to south, with an estimated height of 9 to 11 meters. Two such structures were arranged symmetrically along a north-south axis, creating the first confirmed gateway-and-towers configuration at an ancient Korean site, according to the provincial announcement.
The gateway forms part of a much larger planned compound around the Ssangsujeong pavilion area. Archaeologists found a main building with seven bays across its front and three along its sides, measuring 32.3 meters by 14.6 meters. Long corridor-style buildings, each roughly 26 to 34 meters in length, divided the palace grounds by function and rank. Their layout, together with walls and a pond, supports the identification of the area as the palace within Ungjin Fortress rather than an isolated elite building.
A royal compound built by reshaping the terrain
Constructing the complex required reshaping the terrain. Builders filled a valley that had been about 3 to 7 meters deep and created a rectangular platform approximately 104 meters north to south and 87 meters east to west. Earthen terraces were also installed on the northern and western slopes. The scale of this work indicates that the palace was designed to impose a clear hierarchy on both the landscape and movement through the royal compound.
The main building closely resembles large structures previously found at Gwanbuk-ri in Buyeo and Wanggung-ri in Iksan. Officials said those similarities reveal connections across Baekje palace architecture. They also interpret the imposing entrance as material evidence of an effort to reinforce royal authority after Baekje moved its capital from Hanseong to Ungjin in 475, beginning a 64-year period that lasted until the capital shifted to Sabi in 538.
- Results presentation
- November 11, 2026, at Kongju National University
- Excavation site
- Gongsanseong Fortress royal palace area in Gongju
- Historical period
- Baekje’s Ungjin capital era, from 475 to 538
The presentation also included reconstructed lacquered armor for a mounted warrior and horse, based on objects excavated at Gongsanseong in 2011 and studied through conservation and technical analysis over the following decade. Authorities said continued cooperation among national agencies, local governments and Kongju National University will guide further excavation and preservation. Future work will determine how much more of the palace plan survives and how the newly documented structures can strengthen interpretation of Gongsanseong as part of Baekje’s World Heritage legacy.