Geumseonggwan Hall was built between 1475 and 1479, during the reign of King Seongjong of Joseon, by Naju magistrate Yi Yu-in, as a gaeksa — a government guest hall. A gaeksa served as a ceremonial space where a memorial tablet symbolizing the king was enshrined, with local officials bowing toward the royal palace on the first and fifteenth day of each lunar month, and it also served as lodging for officials dispatched from the central government. As such, it was one of the most prestigious buildings in any given county.
Geumseonggwan's history has been anything but smooth. It burned down during the Japanese invasions of the 1590s and was rebuilt in 1603 by Naju magistrate Kim Gae. It underwent another restoration during the reign of King Gojong, but its most severe damage came during the Japanese colonial period, when the building was repurposed as a county government office, badly compromising its original form. It continued to serve government functions for some time even after Korea's liberation, before undergoing two complete dismantling-and-restoration projects, in 1963 and 1977, that returned it to something close to its original appearance. In 2019, its historical and architectural value was formally recognized when it was elevated to Korean Treasure status. This 500-plus-year arc — from Joseon government hall, to Japanese colonial administrative office, to restored cultural heritage — is something you can trace to some degree simply by walking through the old Naju fortress town area today.