The first thing to know about Gwangneung is that it holds King Sejo on the left and Queen Jeonghui on the right. The second thing to know is that the tombs are part of the Korea National Arboretum, and feature some old trees that have managed to stay vertical through all of Korea's turmoil. The third thing to know is that it's far enough out of Seoul to make it a good day trip. One of Korea's Historic Sites (#197), this 'Royal Tomb of Brilliance' is my latest addition to my Joseon-Dynasty quest.

The second son of King Sejong, King Sejo was born Yi Yu in 1417 and was given the title of Daegun, or Great Prince Suyang, in 1428. Being the second son means you're second in line, of course. His older brother, the future King Munjong, took the throne after King Sejong died. Munjong died after reigning a mere two years, and Munjong's son became King Danjong at the tender age of 12 years old. That was too young to actually rule, so the Premier and Vice-Premier took over.

Our man Suyang / Sejo took some advice from his advisor Han Myeong-hoe: coup! Prince Suyang did just that, killing the vice premier and forcing Danjong to abdicate before declaring himself the next king of the Joseon Dynasty. In the process of the coup, Suyang / Sejo killed his younger brother and forced Danjong to drink poison to eliminate the competition.

To his credit, Sejo accomplished plenty in his fourteen-year reign. Beyond strengthening border security, reforming the military, introducing a new postal system, and creating a state granary system, he published a number of books on everything from a Korean translation of the Diamond Sutra to the 經國大典 (Gyeonggukdaejeon), or a Grand Code for State Administration.



One unique factor of Gwangneung is this original stone near the entrance of the tombs. In Chinese, it tells visitors to get off your horses or palanquins and approach by foot. Even the king had to dismount when it was time for memorial rites. You eagle-eyed readers might have noticed that there is no 참도 (cham-do) or stone path that go from the opening gate to the memorial building.



Looking back out from the 정자각 (jeong-ja-gak), or the building where memorial services are held, back out to the entrance. The fresh paint is nice, although the trees have retired for the season.

During the fall season, the trees are the highlight of coming here; being closer to winter now means the tombs get highlighted:



To the left, King Sejo's tomb - the reward for the trek here is the ability to climb the stairs and get up close and personal with the tombs - not just seeing them from hundreds of meters away, but as close as hand to stone.



The tomb in the middle, called a 봉분 (bong-bun) in Korean, with 석호 (Seok-ho), or animals surrounding the tomb.




A 무인석 (mu-in-seok), or a military officer made in stone; the horse made of stone is called a 석마, or seong-ma. His matching pair has been staring straight at him since they were first put in place.



The 문인석 (mun-in-seok), or a stone statue of a scholar.



The 비각 (bi-gak), or the building that holds the stone stele describing the people buried here. As with every other Joseon Dynasty tomb, the engravings are Chinese, but a Korean translation accompanies the stele on a small sign nearby.



Around the back of Queen Jeonghui's tomb - there's no ropes and no problems getting around. Just be careful with the steep hill - it would be great for sledding, but take care to walk safely.

While I'm not sure I'd have made the effort to get out here if I weren't on a quest to see all the Joseon Dynasty tombs, it's a beautiful and peaceful place. I would try to get here in the fall to see it in the best weather, but even in the winter it's quite nice.

Ratings (out of 5 taeguks): How do I rate destinations?

Ease to arrive:

Foreigner-friendly:

Convenience facilities:

Worth the visit:

Directions to Gwangneung: from Cheongnyangni station (line 1), take exit 4 to street level and make a u-turn. Walk 25 meters and look up for bus 707. You do NOT need to cross the street to the other bus platforms. Go to the end of the bus line, called Gwangneungdae. Cross the street and transfer to bus 21. Ride for about 10-15 minutes and get off at the Gwangneung bus stop.

Another option is to catch bus 7007 from Gangnam station to Gwangneungdae (where bus 707 ended). From there, cross the road and catch bus 21 to Gwangneung as mentioned before.

1,000 won admission; open 9am - 6:30pm (March-October) and 9am - 5:30pm (November-February). Ticketing stops one hour before closing time.

© Chris Backe - 2010

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