Buyeo National Museum

Buyeo, ancient Sabi, was the last capital of the Baekje kingdom, and its national museum gathers the heritage of Sabi-period Baekje and the prehistory of western South Chungcheong. It is home to the Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje, considered the finest piece of Baekje metalwork, and entry is free for everyone.

History: from a preservation society to a national museum

The museum grew out of the Buyeo Antiquities Preservation Society, founded in 1929. It became a branch of the Government-General Museum in 1939, and after liberation reopened as the Buyeo branch of the National Museum on 13 October 1945. It was raised to the Buyeo National Museum in 1975 and moved to its present site on 6 August 1993.

On 23 December 2025 a dedicated building for the incense burner, the Baekje Great Incense Burner Hall, opened. On 28 July 2026 the permanent galleries closed for their first full overhaul in twelve years, with reopening planned after 14 December 2026. The new permanent exhibition will be organised into a Sabi Baekje gallery, a Songguk-ri culture gallery and a donated heritage gallery.

What to see

• Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje: found at the Neungsan-ri temple site in Buyeo, it stands 61.8 cm high with a maximum diameter of 19.0 cm. A phoenix perches on top, and the lid is a stack of mountains representing the realm of immortals, with holes between the peaks for the incense smoke. Five musicians playing a wanham lute, vertical flute, panpipes, geomungo zither and drum appear among immortals and fantastic creatures.
• Gilt-bronze standing Avalokiteshvara: a 21.1 cm figure from a temple site in Gyuam-myeon, raising a small jewel at shoulder height in its right hand, with a soft smile that shows the refinement of early-7th-century Baekje sculpture.
• Brick with landscape and phoenix design: clouds, three-tiered peaks, flowing water and a phoenix, a Baekje tile that reads like a painting.
• Outdoor exhibits: stone artefacts are set around the grounds for an easy stroll.
• Children's Museum: a hands-on space themed on the incense burner.

Good to know

• Incense burners with mountain-shaped lids go back to the boshan censers made in China from the late Warring States period through the Han dynasty; "Boshan" stands for the islands of the immortals. The Baekje burner adds a phoenix, five musicians and fantastic creatures to that form, creating a far livelier world.
• The museum added a conservation science building in 2005 and the Sabimaru cultural centre in 2011, whose hall hosts concerts and talks.

Tripto tips

• Opening hours: 09:00–18:00, last entry 30 minutes before closing. Closed Mondays (the next weekday if Monday is a public holiday), 1 January, and Seollal and Chuseok days.
• During the 2026 overhaul: until 14 December only the Incense Burner Hall and the Children's Museum are open. You need a free same-day timed ticket (one per person) from the kiosk in the Sabimaru hall; all 25 sessions are released at 9 a.m. and go on a first-come basis. Enter within 10 minutes of your session's start.
• Guided talks: volunteer guides speak in the Incense Burner Hall's 3rd-floor lobby at 10:10 and 13:10, Tuesday to Sunday, no booking needed.
• Getting there: about 3 minutes by taxi from Buyeo intercity bus terminal, or by local bus and a short walk. By train, take the bus from Gongju Station, about an hour. Parking is free during opening hours.
• Combine with: Jeongnimsa Temple Site, about 600 m away, Busosanseong fortress and the Buyeo royal tombs for a full Sabi Baekje day.