Poseokjeong Pavilion Site

Poseokjeong is a Silla-era stone watercourse hidden in woodland at the western foot of Namsan in Gyeongju. Water ran along a groove curved like an abalone shell, and the site is famous as a place where courtiers floated wine cups and composed poems – but it is also remembered as the scene of tragedy at the end of the Silla kingdom. The pavilion has gone and only the stone channel remains, yet it is a rare surviving example of Silla garden engineering.

History: site of a Silla royal villa

The channel is thought to date from the Unified Silla period, and a royal villa is said to have stood here; no record gives the exact date of construction. In 927, while King Gyeongae was holding a banquet here, troops of Gyeon Hwon of Later Baekje burst in and the king lost his life. Poseokjeong therefore long symbolised the fall of Silla. It was designated Historic Site No. 1 in 1963 and, together with the Namsan area, belongs to the UNESCO-listed Gyeongju Historic Areas.

What to see

• Abalone-shaped channel: 63 shaped granite blocks form a channel about 10 m long, about 35 cm wide and on average 26 cm deep. Width and slope vary from bend to bend, so cups floated at different speeds.
• The missing stone turtle: a turtle-shaped stone once spouted water from the Namsan valley into the channel; it no longer survives.
• Old trees: zelkova, pine and bamboo surround the 7,432 m² site and keep it calm and shaded.

Drinking game or ritual site?

Poseokjeong has traditionally been described as a place for winding-stream parties: a cup of wine was set afloat, and a guest had to finish a poem before it reached him. More recently, however, scholars have leaned towards the view that it was a place for rituals rather than banquets, and some suggest the story of King Gyeongae is what fixed its image as a pleasure ground.

What excavation revealed

In 1998, excavations about 50 m south of the channel uncovered the remains of a large building and vessels used in rituals. Since then, the idea that Poseokjeong was a sacred ritual space rather than a mere pleasure ground has gained ground. A legend also says that when King Heongang held a banquet here, the god of Namsan appeared and danced, and the king's imitation of that dance became the Silla dance known as Eomu Sansinmu. The Silla people prized the clear water of the Namsan valley and channelled it into the watercourse. The visitor centre at the entrance uses a model and video to show how the channel worked.

Tripto tips

• Route: it lies on the western side of Namsan, so combine it with nearby western Namsan sites such as Samneung and the standing Buddhas of Bae-ri.
• Viewing: don't step into the channel or onto the stones; walk slowly around it from one end to follow the curves.
• Opening times: check current hours and fees with Gyeongju's official tourism information before you go.
• The name: "Poseok" means "abalone stone", after the channel's shell-like outline – trace its shape as if looking down from above.
• Time needed: 20–30 minutes is enough.