Time of the visit: the 25th of oct.,2025

The Mireuksa Temple Site and the Wanggung-ri Site in Iksan are part of the UNESCO World Heritage “Baekje Historic Areas”. Mireuksa was one of the largest Buddhist temples of the Baekje Kingdom (18 BCE–660 CE), showcasing its refined architecture and religious culture. Wanggung-ri was the royal palace area, reflecting Baekje’s political power and urban planning.

Early in the morning I took the train from Gwangju to Iksan.As I came down the escalator, I was greeted by dance and music. Right by the exit, a stage had been set up where traditional Korean songs and dances were being performed. Fascinating. Too fascinating... I missed my bus by a minute and had to wait an hour for the next one.Luckily, interesting dances were performed, so the time passed quickly. The bus took what felt like forever (about 45-50 minutes) to reach Mireuksa.

At the information center next to the bus stop, I learned that there's a shuttle bus on weekends that runs the route from Iksan train station to Mireuska and then on to Wanggangri. There are 3-4 stops along the way, such as as a film set prison and the UNESCO World Centre (which you can visit, but it's not a must).I also got some leaflets.

I first visited the museum,then I discovered every inch of the open-air area.The restored Mireuksa pagoda is one of the oldest ones in South Korea.

The other pagoda is a completely new construction. The outlines of the temple are clearly visible. There is also a partially preserved kiln protected by a glass building.

At the stated departure time, I went to the shuttle bus stop right by the visitor information desk. There was already a long queue. The woman in front of me spoke English and said it wouldn't be a problem with a large bus. However, no large bus appeared, only a medium-sized one.

I, that lady, and a mother with her 10-year-old daughter couldn't get on the bus. The mother ordered a taxi by a Korean app which appeared within 3-4 minutes.Together we went to the UNESCO Center. After a 15-minute visit, we all met up again by chance.

Together we wanted to take the bus to Wanggangri... bad luck again... the time difference to the city bus and the shuttle bus was too great..we were not in the mood to wait 20-30 minutes. We couldn't order a taxi because the distance was too short for the Korean app, but too far for us (25 minutes on foot).We stopped one on the street. Wanggangri has a so-called palace museum as well as the palace ruins. The Wanggangri museum is full of modern multimedia technology, but lacks substance. The large Mireuksa Museum is much more interesting. There's also a pleasant cafe with live music (apparently usually played there on weekends).The Mireuksa site was undoubtedly much more interesting for the average visitor. It was also quite crowded, unlike the Wanggangri site.After seeing everything, I took the shuttle bus (this time a large bus came) to Iksan Station. All bus schedules are in Korean... at least the shuttle schedules are easy to understand if you use Google Lens. You just need to know that there are shuttle buses on weekends. The regular buses take twice as long, and the price difference is minimal.I would describe both sites as below average UNESCO sites,mildly interesting. The Mireuksa Museum is the most interesting component.

Iksan is a nondescript city which doesnt offer much to a foreign visitor...unlike the near Gwangju.If short of time,skip Wanggangri ..Mireuksa has more to offer.