Most Jeonju travel stories start with the founding of the Joseon dynasty in 1392. But about 490 years earlier, Jeonju was already a royal capital. Taking advantage of the chaos at the end of the Silla dynasty, a warlord named Gyeon Hwon built up his own power base and, in 900 CE, established his capital at Wansanju — the site of present-day Jeonju — founding the kingdom of Later Baekje (Hubaekje). The area around today's Donggosanseong Fortress is the leading candidate for the site of his palace; archaeologists excavating there found roof tiles inscribed with the characters for "Jeonju Fortress." (A few competing theories place the palace elsewhere in the city, so this isn't settled beyond dispute.)
The ending of Later Baekje reads like a plot twist. Gyeon Hwon wasn't brought down by an external enemy — he was brought down by his own son. In March of 935, his son Singeom staged a coup, imprisoned his father at Geumsansa Temple, killed his brother Geumgang, and took the throne for himself. Gyeon Hwon spent three months locked away at the temple before escaping with his youngest son — and then did something remarkable: he surrendered to Wang Geon, the founder of Goryeo, the very rival kingdom he had spent his life fighting. In effect, the man who founded Later Baekje ended up helping destroy it, from the enemy's side, after his own son overthrew him. Once word spread that Gyeon Hwon had defected, the last king of Silla, Gyeongsun, submitted to Goryeo that November as well — and Later Baekje, after two generations and 36 years, fell in 936. Standing today at this quiet fortress site in the middle of Jeonju, it's worth remembering that this is the city's real first chapter — a much harder-edged story than the postcard calm of the Hanok Village nearby.