Gongju (Korean: 공주시?, ​​公州市?, Gongju-si) is a city in Chungcheongnam-do Province, Republic of Korea. Located on the site of the ancient city of Unjin, the capital of the ancient Korean state of Baekje. Already in the 21st century, there were projects to transfer the country’s capital to Gongju.

History
People have lived in the Gongju area since ancient times. Here (at the Sokchanni site) archaeologists found dwellings of people of the Paleolithic era. This is one of the oldest human settlements in the entire region. The accelerated development of this area began in 475, when Wang Munju moved the capital of the Baekje state from Wire to Unjin (as Gongju was then called). The city remained the capital until 538, after which the royal court moved to Sabi. During the time of the Unified Silla, in 686, by the order of Wang Sinmun, the name of Unjin was changed to Uncheon, and in 757 the city received the name of Unju. In 940 (the era of the Goryeo Dynasty), Gongju received its modern name. In 1895, after the administrative reform of Chungcheong-do, the province was divided between the districts of Gongju, Hongju and Chungju. The Gongju District includes 27 counties. Later, after unification with Hongju, Gongju became the center of Chungcheong-do province, uniting 37 counties.
In the 20th century, Gongju began to lose its importance. In 1932, the provincial government of Chungcheongnam-do moved to Daejeon. In 1986, Gongju received the status of a city (si) and was divided into the city of Gongju and the county (gun) of Gongju. In 1995, both of these administrative divisions were merged into the city of Gongju.
On August 11, 2004, South Korean Prime Minister Lee Haechang announced plans to move the capital from Seoul to Gongju and Yonggi County. The transfer was supposed to start in 2007. A site of 72.91 km² was allocated for the project, and the move was to be completed by 2030. The relocation of the capital was intended to reduce the economic and demographic imbalance between the Seoul-centered Sudogwon region and the rest of the country. The cost of the project was estimated at up to 45 to 94 billion US dollars. A campaign was launched against the transfer of the capital, and on October 21, 2004, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Korea ruled that the transfer of the capital was inconsistent with the current Constitution of the country. After that, the government prepared a less ambitious project to transfer some branches of government to Gongju, leaving Seoul with the status of the capital. The timing of this project unknown.

Geography
Gongju is located in the central part of Chungcheongnam-do province. It borders Yeonggi and Daejeon to the east, Yesan and Cheongyang to the west, Asan and Cheonan to the north, and Buyeo, Nonsan, and Gyeryong to the south. On the territory subordinated to the city, there are two remarkable mountains – Charyeongsan and Gyeongsan, which are popular mountain resorts. The large Kymgan River flows through the territory, here several tributaries flow into it.
Mount Charyeongsan protects Gongju from northerly winds, so the climate here is slightly warmer than other cities and counties in the province. The average summer temperature is 23.3 °C, the average winter temperature is about 1 °C.

Tourism and attractions
The sights of Gongju are, first of all, the Buddhist heritage of the era of the Three States:
– Buddhist monasteries of Magoksa, Sinvoksa, Kapsa, Donghaksa, Yeonpyongsa, Sonos. The oldest of them is Magoksa (built in 642).
– Baekje-era Gongsan Fortress.
– Gongju National Museum. It was opened in 1972. Mostly relics from the Baekje period are exhibited here.

Symbols
Like all other cities in South Korea, Gongju has a number of symbols:
Flower: Forsythia is a symbol of hope.
Tree: zelkova – symbolizes simplicity and honesty.
Bird: magpie – is the personification of the friendliness and hospitality of the inhabitants of the city.
Animal: bear – symbolizes honesty and openness.
Mascot: Happy Bear Hyodori – the bear is one of the main characters in the myth of Unjin (ancient name for Gongju).