Buyeo was the last capital of Baekje, one of the three ancient kingdoms of Korea, and it feels like the sort of town that remembers it. Baekje moved its court here in 538 and held it until it fell to an alliance of Silla and Tang China in 660, and the little river town on the Geum river has been quietly proud of that heritage ever since. The temple site of Jeongnimsa is at the heart of it, and what is left is a grassy rectangle with the foundations of the halls, a stone pagoda and a Buddha figure under a roof.
The five-storey stone pagoda is the main attraction, a tall, slender tower that is among the oldest and best preserved of its kind in Korea, with a graceful curve to its eaves. It also carries a strange inscription, carved by the Tang general who conquered the city, celebrating his victory, a record of conquest on a monument that was supposed to be sacred. The site was listed by UNESCO in 2015 as part of the Baekje Historic Areas, together with Gongju and Iksan.
For a rider, the Buyeo area is peaceful and pleasant. The Geum river runs slowly through flat farmland, with low hills, and roads along its banks are smooth and lightly trafficked, passing rice fields, greenhouses and small villages. It is easy riding and good for an unhurried afternoon, though in the main town the streets are narrow and a bit confusing. Summer is hot and humid, and the best seasons are spring, with fresh green fields, and autumn, when the hills turn gold and the sky is clear.
Buyeo is a town of thirty thousand people, so fuel and meals are easy to find. A pond called Gungnamji, near the town, was built in the seventh century by a Baekje king and is covered in lotus flowers in July, and the Nakhwaam rock above the river is linked to a legend of court ladies who threw themselves into the water during the fall of the city. The Baekje Incense Burner, one of the great treasures of Korean metalwork, was found nearby, and a small museum tells the story.