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Places where traces of people from the past are best preserved happen to be graves of the deceased. The older remains and relics are, the greater the possibility for them to get damaged, but graves tend to stay relatively intact. Moreover, many relics are likely to be buried alongside the deceased, which is why graves are often considered treasure troves of history. A good example of this would be Muryeong wangneung (武寧王陵), the royal tomb of King Muryeong. The historic site is known for offering a vivid reproduction of what the ancient Korean kingdom Baekje used to look like through the 2,960 relics of 108 different kinds uncovered from it, including the Geumje gwansik (金製冠飾), the gold decorations of diadems that have been designated as national treasures.

Gongju, a UNESCO World Heritage

In 2015, Gongju was inscribed together with Iksan and Buyeo as the Baekje Historic Areas in the UNESCO list of world heritages. It’s wealth of cultural and historic remains including Gongsanseong fortress (公山城) and the royal tombs at Songsan-ri (宋山里 古墳群) demonstrate the fact that it was once the capital of Baekje between 475 and 538 and gives more than enough reason for so many apart from students of history to visit Gongju each year.

During the times of Baekje, Gongsanseong used to be called Ungjinseong (熊津城). It is presumed to have originally been an earthen fortress until it became reconstructed during the mid-Joseon dynasty into its current form as a stone fortress. The fortress was naturally fortified against attacks by the kingdom of Koguryo from being located south of the Geum River that flowed between Charyeong Mountains and Gyeryong Mountain. Apart from functioning as the capital of Baekje during the kingdom's Ungjin period, the fortress continued to play a central role in the kingdom’s northern parts during the Sabi period when the kingdom relocated its capital to Sabi. Gongsanseong fortress is also known as the place where the kingdom of Baekje fell when King Uija (義慈王) fought his final battle against the allied forces of Silla and Tang.

The tombs at Songsan-ri are presumed to be ones that belonged to Baekje royalty. Seven of them have been restored so far and Tomb No. 7 called Muryeong wangneung is the most well-known among them. Tombs No. 1 through 5 are stone tombs with corridors, a construction style that had been passed down from the Hanseong period of Baekje. Tomb No. 6 is made of a brick chamber with a corridor which seems to have been influenced by the Southern dynasties (南朝) of China. The tomb’s four walls are made of bricks stacked and slathered with mud and whiting, and then covered with murals. Paintings of the four deities, the sun, moon, and stars reveal the delicate, elegant traits of Baekje artistry.

At the entrance to the Songsan-ri tombs, there is an exhibition hall that provides a clear, concise overview of Baekje’s history and a photo zone where visitors can take pictures wearing Baekje costumes. The hall also has on display a reproduction of the tombs to offer visitors a more realistic experience as if they are inside the actual tombs while looking around at the relics and remains in them.

Walking along the path to the back of the tombs leads to the Gongju National Museum, which is worth paying a visit as well. On display at the museum is the epitaph indicating that the tomb belongs of King Muryeong, a statue in the shape of the imaginary animal called jinmyosu (zhenmushou) that used to be placed at the entrance of the tomb to guard it, and most of the other relics that have been excavated from Muryeong wangneung. The museum also exhibits other relics dating back to the time Gongju (Ungjin) used to be the capital of Baekje which show how the area’s native culture merged with Baekje’s mainstream culture as a result of the relocation of the kingdom's capital from Hanseong to Ungjin.

The Greatest Discovery for Baekje Studies

The discovery of Muryeong wangneung happened quite by accident. It was while the other Baekje royal tombs at Songsan-ri were being excavated by the Japanese after they initiated such excavations during Imperial Japan's occupation of Korea. Tomb No. 6 attracted attention for the mural of the four deities and other murals painted inside it. To prevent such murals from getting damaged, drainage work was being done at the tomb when Tomb No. 7 was discovered by chance.

Located behind Tomb No. 5 and 6, Muryeong wangneung, or Tomb No. 7, is made of bricks. The tomb's style appears to have been influenced by the Southern dynasties of China, indicating that Baekje had been actively engaged in international exchange. The bricks are primarily engraved with lotus patterns, which seems to embody the Buddhist belief in afterlife. The tomb has arched ceilings and is shaped like a rectangle that stretches north and south with a corridor sticking out from the longer side of the rectangle's center. This sort of layout is very similar to that of Tomb No. 6. A corridor unfolds upon setting foot into the entrance and leads to the chamber where the king and queen are interred together. Epitaphs declaring the owners of the tomb and a statue shaped into the imaginary animal jinmyosu (zhenmushou) are placed along the corridor.

Designated as National Treasure No. 163, the two epitaphs from Muryeong wangneung were each placed on the left and right side of the tomb's corridor. The inscriptions on both sides of each epitaph inform that Tomb No. 7 at Songsan-ri belongs to King Muryeong (武寧王). The jinmyosu (zhenmushou) statue is meant to protect the tomb and the deceased inside it from evil spirits. The one from Muryeong wangneung takes an imaginary form and has been designated as National Treasure No. 162. The gold decorations for the king and the queen's diadems excavated from the tomb have also been designated as National Treasure No. 154 and 155. The decorations both look like curved flames, but their individual shapes slightly differ from one another. Samguk sagi (三國史記), or the History of the Three Kingdoms, mentions that the king of Baekje wore a black silk headpiece decorated with a gold flower, and that flower is believed to refer to the gold decoration uncovered from Muryeong wangneung.

The discovery of Muryeong wangneung is considered both the greatest and the worst discovery in the history of Korean archaeology. There is no doubt it has huge impact on studying the history of Baekje since many relics were uncovered along with an epitaph that clearly states the owner of the tomb, but the discovery was carried out too carelessly within a short period of time. Dr. Kim Won-ryong, who participated in the excavation, wrote in his memoir that "The painful experience of excavating Muryeong wangneung provided many lessons for those who excavated tombs in Gyeongju later on." Those words hint that there had been all sorts of problems with the excavation, but that they were clearly mistakes worth learning from.

Muryeong wangneung and the 3,000 or so relics uncovered from it are important sources that provide knowledge about Baekje including its customs, architectural techniques, religious ideas, cultural exchange, and art. That is why visiting the tombs at Songsan-ri and the exhibitions at the adjacent Gongju National Museum is likely to present a vivid illustration of the Ungjin period of ancient Baekje.