The five-story stone pagoda in Wanggung-ri, Iksan () is a Korean pagoda from the kingdom of Paekche with a height of approximately 8.5 meters. The structure is situated on a low hill at the end of a mountain ridge in Wanggung-ri, Iksan city, North Jeolla Province, South Korea. The pagoda is famously located within the Baekje Historic Areas, which is widely believed to be an ancient royal palace site associated with King Mu of the Paekche Kingdom. As it bridges the turbulent transition from the ancient Baekje period to the Goryeo dynasty, it holds a unique position in Korean art history and archaeology. Archaeological Site in Wanggung-ri, designated as Historic Site No. 408 on September 17, 1998, has a surface area of 216,862 square meters with various structures and artifacts from Paekche to Unified Silla period. The stone pagoda is registered as the 289th National Treasures of South Korea.
Excavation Standing at a total height of 8.5 meters, the pagoda features a single-tier base supporting a five-story body. Its original appearance was brought to light when it was dismantled and repaired in 1965 after having been partially buried.
According to findings confirmed by a full-scale excavation since 1989, it was built as a royal palace and used for a certain period, with important palace buildings demolished and temples such as towers, gilt halls, and auditoriums constructed.
Historical background The Iksan region flourished as the center of Mahan confederacy. which was a group of chiefdoms in the southern west part of Korea from the 3rd century. The kingdom of Paekche rose as the leading power of the territory, later becoming one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. After its apex in 4th century, Paekche went through several ups and downs, losing Han river basin in 5th century owing to harsh attack of Goguryeo and finally getting away from the power game after the betrayal of Silla in the battle of Gwansansaeong in 554 CE where the King Seong was assassinated by King Jinheung of Silla. In order to pacify the royal authority, the descendants struggled to resotre the regional hegemony. One of the crucial kings was the King Mu (r. 600–641 CE) who is told to have built diverse palaces and establishments in Iksan region. The pagoda and its surrounding area is widely accepted as his royal residence and relevant structures. After the collapse of the kingdom in 660, this area apparently turned into Buddhist complex.
Characteristics Similar to the stone pagoda of Mireuksa temple, it is characterized by sculptural and cohesive structural features rather than imitating the form of wooden pagodas or traditional architectural joinery. Its foundation is independent of the surrounding ground, forming a high platform capable of fully supporting the weight of the pagoda. The body stones show a simplified, condensed form, breaking away from the complex structure of wooden pagodas, and the column style dispenses with entasis.
It partially retains the stylistic features of Paekche stone pagodas, such as the thin and wide roof stones with flat drip edges for collecting rainwater, and the roof stone of the first-story body being wider than the base platform. For a long time, opinions were divided regarding its construction period; however, during restoration work in 1965, the composition style of the base and the style of the sarira reliquaries discovered inside clarified its date relatively clearly – during the reign of King Mu of Paekche. In other words, it is plausible to say the pagoda was based on the constructive style of Paekche, adding its features of later periods from the Unified Silla and early Goryeo era, demonstrating whole panorama of Korean history for several centuries.
Reliquaries
The reliquaries including sarira were found in December 1965 in the platform and the roofstone of the first tier of this pagoda.
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