The Buyeo National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, under the Korea Heritage Service, is conducting a significant excavation at the Gwanbuk-ri Site in Buyeo in collaboration with Buyeo County. The purpose of this project is to uncover tangible evidence of Baekje’s Sabi-period royal palace, focusing on both administrative documentation and musical culture from around 1,500 years ago. Since 1982, the site has been recognized for its large-scale palace structures, waterways, and roads, believed to be the core of the Sabi royal palace. The current 16th excavation session (2024–2025) aims to clarify the historical governance and cultural practices of the Baekje kingdom. The research findings will be officially presented at a briefing titled ‘Return after 1,500 years: Musical Instrument and Administrative Documents of Sabi-Baekje’ on February 5, 2024.
The excavation has a direct impact on historians, archaeologists, and cultural heritage professionals, as well as the broader public interested in East Asian history. A total of 329 wooden tablets, including scraping debris (sakseol), were unearthed, marking the largest assemblage ever recovered from a single site in Korea and the earliest known materials from Baekje’s Sabi period. Notably, a bamboo transverse flute (hoengjeok) was discovered in a pit near a 7th-century building believed to be the Baekje jodang, providing the first physical evidence of such an instrument from the Three Kingdoms period. The wooden tablets include personnel records, fiscal ledgers, and documents detailing administrative districts, offering unprecedented insight into Baekje’s state governance and cultural exchanges.
The timeline of discoveries centers on the 16th excavation session conducted over the past two years (2024–2025). The wooden tablets were found in waterways dating to the early phase of Baekje’s capital relocation from Gongju (Ungjin) to Buyeo (Sabi) in 538. Some tablets bear sexagenary cycle year designations, specifically Gyeongsin (540) and Gyehae (543), pinpointing their production to immediately after the relocation. The bamboo flute, analyzed and compared with Chinese and Japanese examples, is the first confirmed Baekje hoengjeok and the only extant wind instrument from the 7th-century Three Kingdoms era. The findings will be shared with the public and academic community, with ongoing research and dissemination planned by the institute.
Frequently asked questions include: What is the significance of the wooden tablets? These tablets provide concrete evidence of Baekje’s administrative practices, including personnel appointments, fiscal management, and district organization. How rare is the musical instrument discovery? The bamboo transverse flute is the first physical example from Baekje and the Three Kingdoms period, offering new data for reconstructing ancient Korean music. What do the findings reveal about Baekje’s culture? The tablets and instrument demonstrate advanced administrative systems and active cultural exchanges with China and Japan, enriching our understanding of East Asian history.
Metaqsol opinion: The Buyeo Gwanbuk-ri Site excavation delivers unprecedented material evidence of Baekje’s Sabi-period governance and musical culture. The discovery of Korea’s largest single-site cache of wooden tablets and the first physical Baekje transverse flute enables new empirical research into ancient administrative systems and court music. These findings will significantly advance historical understanding and set a benchmark for future archaeological projects in East Asia. Continued dissemination and research will be vital for maximizing the impact of these discoveries.