Wiryeseong () was the name of two early capitals of

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (; ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BCE to 660 CE. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. While the three kingdoms were in separate existence, Baekje had the h ...

, one of the

Three Kingdoms of Korea The Three Kingdoms of Korea or Samhan (Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla) competed for hegemony over the Korea, Korean Peninsula during the ancient period of History of Korea, Korean history. During the Three Kingdoms period (), many states and statele ...

. Both are believed to have been in the modern-day

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

area. According to ''

Samguk Sagi ''Samguk sagi'' () is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla. Completed in 1145, it is well-known in Korea as the oldest surviving chronicle of Korean history. The ''Samguk sagi'' is written in Classical ...

'' (the oldest surviving Korean history book, written in the 12th century), Onjo, the son of

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...

's founder Jumong, founded the nation of ''Sipje'' (십제, 十濟; later became ''Baekje'') on Wiryeseong in 18 BC, while his elder brother Biryu established himself in Michuhol (미추홀, 彌鄒忽) further to the west. The location of Michuhol is usually believed to be present-day

Incheon Incheon is a city located in northwestern South Korea, bordering Seoul and Gyeonggi Province to the east. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Incheon was home to just 4,700 people when it became an international port in 1883. As of February 2020, ...

. After some time, Biryu recognized that Michuhol's land was too barren and saline to sustain his people, so he moved to Wiryeseong with his people (Shortly after, the name of the state is changed from ''Sipje'' to ''Baekje''). Later, Onjo moved further south because of Malgal to the north and Lelang to the east. The former Wiryeseong is called Habuk (north of the river) Wiryeseong and the latter is called Hanam (south of the river) Wiryeseong.This is not to be confused with modern Hanam city, which also means "south of the (Han) river." The earthen walls of Pungnap Toseong and Mongchon Toseong in

Songpa-gu Songpa District () is one of the List of districts of Seoul, 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. Previously known as Wiryeseong, the first capital of the ancient kingdom of Baekje, Songpa is located in the southeastern part of Seoul. With roughl ...

are believed by many to be the remains of Hanam Wiryeseong. During the Hanseong period, Baekje grew up against Southern Mahan and Northern Chinese Commanderies including Daifang, which attempted to violate their border. In the process, Baekje modified the political systems, and expended its territory to Mahan and

Hwanghae Hwanghae Province (''Hwanghae-do'' ) was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon era. Hwanghae was located in the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital was Haeju. The regional name for the province was Haeseo (). It is a reg ...

region, and it became as a regional power. Wiryeseong served as

’s capital until 475, when Goguryeo's King Jangsu attacked Baekje and captured Wiryeseong, as well as the whole Han River area, and killing Baekje's King Gaero. Baekje's next king Munju moved south and set the new capital at Ungjin (modern day

Gongju Gongju (; ) is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. History Gongju was formerly named Ungjin and was the capital of Baekje from AD 475 to 538. In this period, Baekje was under threat from Goguryeo. Goguryeo had overrun the previ ...

city).

References

Baekje Ancient Korean cities History of Seoul Former capitals of Korea {{Korea-hist-stub

See also

References