Nakhwaam Rock

Nakhwaam is the rock face where the Baengma River turns below Buyeo, at the far edge of the Busosanseong hill, and the name means falling flowers - from the tradition that when Sabi fell to the allied Silla and Tang armies in 660, women of the Baekje court threw themselves from the cliff rather than be taken, their skirts opening as they fell. Historians treat the number usually given, three thousand, as later embellishment rather than record, and the story itself first appears well after the event; it is a national legend more than a documented episode, and Korean visitors come knowing that. A small pavilion, Baekhwajeong, stands at the top. Below is Goran-sa, a temple with a spring whose water people drink, reached by steps down the cliff. From the temple landing a boat runs back to the town side. The view is over water and low wooded hills, wide and quiet.

What's there

• The cliff over the Baengma - the river bend below.
• Baekhwajeong pavilion - the small building at the top.
• Goran-sa and its spring - down the steps at the water.
• The boat back - the return across to Buyeo.

When to go

April to June and September to November, within a walk of the fortress. Late afternoon light on the river is the best of it.

Practical notes

It is a viewpoint with a story attached, not a monument - the walk through the fortress is most of the visit. The steps down to Goran-sa are steep. The legend is tradition, not established history.

Nearby

Busosanseong surrounds it; Gungnamji pond and the Buyeo National Museum are in the town.

Key facts