Gongju National Museum

Everything recovered from the tomb of King Muryeong in 1971 came here, and it is one of the richest single assemblages in Korean archaeology because the tomb was never robbed: gold crown ornaments cut into flame-like shapes and set to tremble with movement, gold earrings, a silver bracelet with an inscription naming its maker and the year, bronze mirrors, a stone guardian animal, and the wooden coffin boards - identified as Japanese umbrella pine, evidence of trade the written record barely mentions. The dated tablet found with the burial makes the whole group a fixed point for dating Baekje material elsewhere. The museum sets these alongside finds from the wider Ungjin period and the region's prehistory, some 10,000 objects in all, including nineteen national treasures. Entry is free. It is a short distance from the tomb site itself, where only a replica chamber can be entered, so the museum is where the visit actually happens.

What you'll find

• The gold flame crowns - the ornaments from the royal burial.
• The inscribed silver bracelet - with its maker's name and date.
• The stone guardian - the tomb animal that stood at the entrance.
• The dating tablet - the stone that fixes Baekje chronology.

When to go

Any season. Closed Mondays. Combine with the Songsan-ri tombs nearby - museum first makes better sense of the site.

What to expect

Free and compact. The tomb itself is sealed, so nothing here is seen in situ. English labelling is decent but the significance of the dating tablet needs the panels read carefully.

Nearby

The Tomb of King Muryeong and Gongsanseong fortress are in the city; Magoksa is 25 km out.

Key facts