Magoksa Temple마곡사

At a glance

Magoksa lies in a forested valley of Mt. Taehwasan and, by temple tradition, was founded by the monk Jajang in 640. Joseon-era lore counted the area among the 'ten safe havens' where people could wait out a war, and the temple did escape damage in both the Imjin War of the 1590s and the Korean War. Today you can see the Daeungbojeon and Daegwangbojeon halls, Yeongsanjeon and two gates, a five-story stone pagoda, and treasures that include a palanquin said to have carried King Sejo and Goryeo sutras copied in gold and silver. It is one of the temples on the UNESCO list 'Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries in Korea,' and it runs a temple-stay program.

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Magoksa Temple · 1 tours & tickets

1. KlookGongju & Sejong 2-day UNESCO tourA 2-day guided tour from Seoul Station. Day 1 starts at Magoksa (entry included), then visits Gongsanseong Fortress and the Royal Tombs; day 2 is in Sejong.Book

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Map

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Tips

• 01
  To see more than the halls, look at the temple's temple-stay program and its Buddhist museum, both linked from the official website.
• 02
  Magoksa pairs well with Gongsanseong and the Royal Tombs in Gongju city, as on the Klook 2-day tour.

Nearby

Yeonmisan Nature Art ParkA wooded hillside in Gongju dotted with about 100 outdoor nature-art installations by Korean and international artists.Tomb of King Muryeong and Royal Tombs of GongjuSeven Baekje royal tombs on a Gongju hillside, among them the brick tomb of King Muryeong, discovered by chance in 1971.Gongsanseong FortressThe royal fortress of Ungjin, Baekje's capital from 475 to 538, with wall-top paths high above the Geumgang River.Na Tae-joo Grass Flower Literature MuseumA free literature museum in central Gongju for Na Tae-joo, loved in Korea as the 'grass flower poet', with hands-on poem activities.