This is the Baekje History Museum in Woongjin, Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, South Korea.

This is the Baekje History Museum in Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do, Republic of Korea. Baekje bordered Goguryeo to the north. Baekje and Goguryeo fought each other to expand their territory to the north and south, respectively. When King Geunchogo of Baekje attacked Pyongyang Castle and King Gogukwon of Goguryeo died, Goguryeo was forced into a defensive position. However, Goguryeo, which had grown its national power, began to pressure Baekje by having King Gwanggaeto conquer 58 castles of Baekje and receive an oath from King Asin. When King Jangsu, who succeeded King Gwanggaeto, moved the capital to Pyongyang, Baekje prepared for an attack by Goguryeo by building a castle and requesting help from the Northern Wei of China. However, Goguryeo sent the monk Dorim as a spy to learn about Baekje's internal situation. Eventually, in September 475, Goguryeo crossed the Han River and attacked Baekje, capturing the capital Hanseong and killing King Gaero of Baekje. King Munju, who inherited the throne in a chaotic situation, had to find a new capital that would serve as the center for reestablishing Baekje. In 475, Baekje lost its capital Hanseong (present-day Seoul) to Goguryeo’s attack and was forced to move south. The safe place they found to escape the danger of Goguryeo was Jin, now Gongju. Surrounded by mountains and rivers, Yongjin was difficult for enemies to enter, and the distant mountain range of Gyeryongsan blocked Goguryeo and Silla. Further south, the wide plains of the current Jeolla-do region were close, and ships carrying grain could move easily. In addition, they could go to the West Sea via the Geumgang River and travel to China and Japan. Not only was the environment good, but powerful nobles who were close to the Baekje royal family were already living in Ungjin. The Baekje royal family, who had been chased away from Hanseong, chose Ungjin as the best place to establish their country again. The sudden relocation of the capital brought a new wind of change to Baekje’s ruling power. Baekje strengthened its alliance with Silla to respond to Goguryeo and built a castle to defend its border. As it became difficult to advance northward because of Goguryeo, it expanded its territory to the Yeongsan River and Seomjin River regions in the south. The socioeconomic foundation of the people became stable, and its culture also developed. As exchanges with the Southern Dynasties of China resumed, it accepted various cultures and was reborn as Baekje’s own unique culture. Baekje, which suffered the pain of losing its capital but declared itself a powerful nation again in Ungjeon, traces of which still remain in many places in Gongju. Becoming a Powerful Nation Again Eungjeon, Baekje’s second capital, grew as a political, economic, and cultural center. As the royal authority stabilized and national defense became stronger during the reigns of King Munju, King Samgeun, and King Dongseong, it was able to emerge as a powerful nation during the reign of King Muryeong. It expanded its territory to the southwest, strengthened its border defenses, and stabilized the lives of its people by organizing embankments and reservoirs. Based on social stability, Baekje flourished in various cultures such as art, architecture, and crafts. When moving the capital to Ungjin, Baekje tried to rise again as a powerful nation by recruiting new talents. It recruited Sa and Baek families, who had grown powerful around Ungjin, as officials and had them support the royal family. It also expanded its territory to the south, exerting influence as far as Tamna (Jeju) and advancing into the Seomjin River basin, which was part of Gaya. In order to rule over this expanded territory, it developed a local government system. Stability of the people's lives When politics and national defense were stabilized, King Muryeong implemented relief policies for the starving people. He also repaired embankments and encouraged wandering people to farm again. Through these policies, he increased agricultural productivity and enriched the nation's finances. Baekje's embankment construction technology was quite advanced, and it had a great influence on the construction of water facilities in Japan after the 6th century. Unique Buddhist culture Baekje accepted Buddhism from Marananta, a monk from the Jin Dynasty of China, in 384. However, nothing is known about the Buddhist culture of Baekje during this period. The oldest temple in Baekje known to date was in Ungjin. According to Samguk Yusa written by Ilyeon, a temple called Daetongsa was built in Ungjin in the 6th century. After that, Baekje built many temples, including Wangheungsa and Mireuksa, and developed Buddhist culture. However, the location of Daetongsa is still unknown, and research is being conducted to find traces of Daetongsa in the area around Banjuk-dong, Gongju, where relics related to Daetongsa were discovered. Baekje Funeral Culture The Chinese historical book, Book of Zhou, contains several records about Baekje's customs. Among them, if you look at the section on Baekje's funeral culture, it says that when a parent or husband died, they wore mourning clothes for three years! #Domestic travel #Travel plan #February travel subsidy event