According to a sangnyangmun (message concerning a ridge beam raising ceremony) of Geungnakjeon Hall, Bongjeongsa Temple appears to have been built by Great Monk Neungin in the late 7th century while legend has it that the temple was built in 672. Gogeumdang Hall stands facing east in front of Geungnakjeon Hall.
It is assumed that Gogeumdang Hall was originally intended as an annex to enshrine a Buddhist statue, but it is now inhabited by a monk. According to the record found during restoration work carried out in 1969, the building was repaired in 1616 (the 8th year of the reign of Prince Gwanghae of the Joseon Dynasty); however, the exact construction year is unknown. Gogeumdang Hall measures three kan (a unit of measurement referring to the distance between two columns) at the front and two kan at the sides, and has a gable roof resembling the character 人 when viewed from the side. Before the restoration work, the building had a different style of roof (in the northern part), a narrow wooden veranda in front of the room, and a door for each kan. However, a pair of hinged doors is now installed at the front, and the building is walled at the sides and back. The eaves of the roof are supported by a system of brackets placed on the pillars. Although the hall is small, it was built by combining various construction styles and is well structured. Gogeumdang Hall of Bongjeongsa Temple is regarded as an important cultural asset for the study of Korea’s architectural history. *Bongjeongsa Temple is known to have been built by Buddhist Master Uisang in 682 (the second year of the reign of King Sinmun of the Silla Dynasty). According to a legend, Master Uisang, the founder of Buseoksa Temple, made a phoenix from paper and released it into the sky, and built a temple, which he named Bongjeongsa, at the place where the paper phoenix landed.