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Museum without walls: Gyeongju’s journey from Silla capital to global stage
Historic sites are part of the landscape of Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. gettyimagesbank
By Kim Se-jeong
Southeastern city's thousand-year legacy shines bright ahead of APEC summit
As leaders, delegates and visitors prepare to gather in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting on Friday and Saturday, few places in Korea embody the nation’s long history more vividly than the host city.
Often called “a museum without walls,” Gyeongju served as the capital of the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C-A.D. 935) through the Unified Silla era for nearly a thousand years. Its landscape remains heavily dotted with tombs, temples, historic buildings and ruins that bring that distant era to life.
In this way, Gyeongju is often compared to ancient Athens or Rome — cities where open-air ruins, sacred monuments and royal tombs are part of the everyday landscape, connecting visitors directly with the past.
Hosting the APEC summit in the city considered the cradle of the Silla Kingdom places global dialogue within the context of Korea’s historical roots, offering a reminder that today’s innovation and diplomacy stand on centuries of cultural legacy.
Center of Silla’s golden age
Gyeongju’s location in a natural basin made it easily defensible, allowing it to serve as the capital of the Silla Kingdom for nearly a thousand years. Back then, it was known as Seorabeol.
During the Unified Silla era, according to historians, the city was home to almost 1 million people, making it one of the most populated cities in the world at that time.
The history of Gyeongju can’t go without mentioning Silla’s rulers.
Queen Seondeok, who reigned from 632 to 647, was the first female sovereign on the Korean Peninsula. Despite facing resistance because of her gender, her reign produced lasting achievements, including the construction of Bunhwangsa Temple and Cheomseongdae Observatory, widely said to be one of the oldest surviving astronomical structures in Asia. She inspired the 2009 hit drama "The Great Queen Seondeok."
King Munmu ruled from 661 to 681, and is remembered for completing the unification of the three kingdoms — Silla, Baekje and Goguryeo — and for defending the peninsula against the Tang dynasty of China.
In 935, the Unified Silla period came to an end when the last monarch, King Gyeongsun, surrendered to the emerging Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), which shifted Korea’s political center away from Gyeongju.
Thriving Buddhism
During its time as the capital, Buddhism flourished in the country and the evidence is everywhere in Gyeongju. Hundreds of temples, stone statues and sites of worship still stand in places like Mount Nam, Hwangnyong Temple, Bulguk Temple and Seokguram Grotto.
This flourishing Buddhist culture also gave rise to famous monks such as Uisang (625-702), who established the Hwaeom sect in Korea.
Then-Crown Prince Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden (1882-1973), center, takes part in the excavation of Seobongchong Tomb in Gyeongju in 1926. Courtesy of National Museum of Korea
During Japanese rule
Fast forward more than a millennium, and Gyeongju entered a new era under Japanese colonial rule (1910-45 ). Major archaeological excavations began during this time under Japanese supervision, culminating in the opening of the city’s first museum.
Although these efforts advanced the study of Korea’s ancient heritage, they were also exploited for Japan’s own political and cultural agenda.
In 1926, Japan invited then-Crown Prince Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden (1882-1973), who was visiting Japan as part of his world tour, to Seobongchong Tomb in Gyeongju and had him participate in the excavation. Japan had known about the crown prince’s interest and experience in archeology and organized the trip to curry favor with him.
Gyeongju was also adored by Japanese people who lived in the city during the colonial period. Japanese author Kazue Morisaki (1927-2022) spent her childhood in Gyeongju, and in her essay book “Gyeongju Is the Sound of Mother Calling” (2020), she recalled how, despite the colonial context, she felt at home in the small city filled with relics of the past, including tomb mounds, ancient structures and Buddhist statues.
Bomun Tourist Complex / gettyimagesbank
Global recognition
After Korea’s liberation in 1945, and especially from the latter half of the 20th century onward, Gyeongju’s heritage came to be viewed not only as a window into the past but also as a cornerstone of national identity and tourism.
The Korean government, together with local authorities, has invested in restoration, preservation and infrastructure to make the city’s open-air sites more accessible to visitors. In the 1970s, the government developed the Bomun Tourist Complex around Bomun Lake.
In 2000, the Gyeongju Historic Areas were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Between 1998 and 2019, the city hosted various Gyeongju World Culture Expos.
Today, Gyeongju is one of Korea’s most visited heritage cities, showcasing its preservation efforts alongside various visitor experiences. Many of its treasures, such as Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple, are carefully conserved and remain sites of active worship. The city continues to balance urban development with heritage protection — a living testament to Korea’s enduring past.