Temple History Geumgoksa Temple is located in northern Gangjin, Jeollanam-do in the foothills of Mt. Ilbongsan (411.8 m). According to some, Geumgoksa Temple was first founded during the reign of Queen Seondeok of Silla (r. 632 – 647 A.D.) by a Silla monk named Milbon. At this time, it’s believed that the temple was called Seongmunsa Temple. However, this story seems unlikely, as the land that Geumgoksa Temple is situated upon belonged to the Baekje Kingdom (18 B.C. – 660 A.D.). So it doesn’t make a ton of sense that a Silla monk would travel to Baekje Kingdom land to found a Buddhist temple. Much later, and according to the…