Archaeological Site in Gwanbuk-ri

On the northern edge of downtown Buyeo, where Busosan hill meets the plain, lies a wide stretch of lawn. It looks like a park, but this is believed to be the royal palace of Sabi, Baekje's last capital from 538 to 660. In 2015 it was inscribed together with Busosanseong Fortress as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Baekje Historic Areas", and excavations here are still producing new finds.

Looking for a lost palace

Among the palaces of Korea's Three Kingdoms, only Goguryeo's Anhakgung had a known location until Chungnam National University Museum began digging here in 1982. In 1983 a square stone-lined pond came to light, in 1988 a pot inscribed "North House" (北舍), and in 1992 Baekje roads and drainage. The National Buyeo Research Institute of Cultural Heritage has continued the work since, uncovering large hall foundations, waterways, terraces, workshops and wells.

The site became a national Historic Site in 2001 and received its current name in 2011.

What to see

• Square lotus pond: the stone-lined pond is filled with lotus leaves in summer and is the most photogenic spot on the site.
• Building and road outlines: post holes, roads and terrace edges are marked on the grass with low mounds and timber posts. Compare them with the aerial view on the information boards and the scale of the palace becomes clear.
• Sheltered pit: a timber shelter stands over a square excavated pit so you can look down into it.
• Busosan behind: the entrance to Busosanseong Fortress is right behind the site, so you can see how the palace and its hilltop fortress fitted together.

Recent finds

The 16th excavation season (2024–2025) produced 329 wooden tablets and a bamboo transverse flute, announced by the Korea Heritage Service in February 2026. It is the largest number of wooden tablets from a single site in Korea, and dates on them correspond to 540 and 543, just after the move to Sabi. They include personnel records, grain ledgers and lists of official ranks. The flute, 22.4 cm long as it survives, came from a pit beside a building thought to be a court hall; parasite eggs in the soil suggest the pit was a latrine. Earlier, in 2024, fragments of lacquered leather armour turned up in a pit near the large hall foundation, prompting speculation that they could be traces of the last fighting when Baekje fell in 660. Plenty more of the story is clearly still under the grass.

Tripto tips

• Time needed: 30–60 minutes for the site itself, or half a day if you climb Busosanseong too.
• Admission: it is an open-air site with no ticket. There is almost no shade, so in summer go early or late in the day.
• Walking route: the site is within walking distance of central Buyeo. Add Jeongnimsa Temple Site (about 600 m south) and Busosanseong and you can cover Buyeo's World Heritage sites on foot in a day.
• Best time: lotus flowers bloom in the pond in July–August; in autumn the colours on Busosan make a good backdrop.
• Note: during excavation seasons some areas may be fenced off.