Gongju is where the kingdom of Baekje retreated when it was almost destroyed. In 475 the armies of Goguryeo, the northern rival, swept south and took the capital at Hanseong, near modern Seoul, killing the king, and the survivors moved the court to Ungjin, as Gongju was then called, a defensible site on the Geum river with a fortress on the hill above. For about sixty years it served as the capital, until the court moved further south to Sabi, now Buyeo, in 538. The UNESCO listing of Baekje Historic Areas, in 2015, covers Gongju, Buyeo and Iksan.
The great find came by accident. In 1971, workmen digging a drainage channel at the tomb cluster of Songsan-ri uncovered an intact brick-lined tomb, the burial of King Muryeong, who died in 523, and his queen. It had never been robbed, and inside were gold ornaments, jade, bronze mirrors and a stone guardian beast with iron horn, along with inscribed tablets giving the date. It is among the most important archaeological finds in Korean history, and the objects are now displayed in the national museum in Gongju. The tomb itself is closed to protect it, but a replica allows you to see the form.
The fortress of Gongsanseong still crowns the ridge above the river, with its stone and earth walls running for a couple of kilometres, and you can walk the ramparts for views over the town and the slow, wide Geum. The national museum in town holds the finds from the royal tombs and is worth an hour on a rainy day.
For riders, the roads around Gongju are good and the countryside gentle, with rice fields, chestnut groves and low wooded hills. Chestnuts are Gongju's pride, and in autumn roadside stalls sell them roasted or boiled, along with sweet chestnut pastries. Spring brings cherry blossom, early summer brings the humid heat, and October is the best month, with clear air and golden fields. The roads are well signed, with speed cameras along the main routes.
Fuel is easy in Gongju, a city of over seventy thousand, and in Sejong, the new administrative capital to the north-east. The tidal flats of Getbol, on the ride list, lie to the west on the Yellow Sea coast, a vast expanse of mud that comes alive with shorebirds, crabs and clam diggers at low tide.