Busosanseong

Welcome to Buyeo, a city that slumbers beneath the weight of an incredibly rich, yet profoundly sorrowful history. You are standing at the threshold of Busosanseong, the royal fortress that served as the beating heart and the…

As you approach the grand Busosanmun, the main entrance gate to the fortress, you are physically crossing the boundary between the bustling, modern township of Buyeo and the quiet, solemn remnants of a lost empire. Before…

Walking just about fifty meters to the right from the main stone path, you will arrive at a quiet, deeply reverent space known as Samchungsa, or the Shrine of the Three Loyal Subjects. Nestled perfectly against the mountain peak,…

Continuing our ascent along the fortress trails, we arrive at a beautiful, elevated wooden structure known as Yeongillu. The name translates elegantly to the Pavilion to Greet the Sun. …

Walking just about fifty meters inward from the sunrise pavilion, we reach the highest elevation in the southeastern sector of the fortress. At first glance, you might simply see a wide, unpaved clearing surrounded by dense…

Retracing our steps and walking approximately five hundred meters back toward the center of the mountain, we arrive at an incredibly scenic vantage point crowned by the Banwollu, or the Half Moon Pavilion. While the wooden…

From the Half Moon pavilion, we now transition onto one of the most enchanting walking trails in the entire fortress, a path known affectionately as the Taejagol, or the Crown Prince's Valley. This trail stretches for about one…

Leaving the highest peak, the path begins a deliberate, somewhat steep descent toward the edge of the mountain, guiding us to a small, exceptionally beautiful hexagonal pavilion perched perilously close to the cliff's edge. This…

Just steps away from the pavilion, you stand upon the jagged, uneven surface of the rock formation itself. This is Nakhwaam. …

From the dizzying heights of the cliff, a steep, winding set of stone stairs leads us downward, descending almost entirely to the level of the riverbank. Here, nestled tightly into a narrow crevice between the towering cliff face…

Our exploration of the mountain fortress concludes not on land, but on the water. Just steps down from the temple courtyard is the Goransa ferry dock, bobbing gently on the currents of the Baengmagang River. …

As our feet finally touch the solid ground of the Gudre dock, and we leave the yellow-sailed boat behind, our journey through Busosanseong comes to an end. We have walked the gentle, stone-paved paths of a royal garden and stood…