Seonjeongneung is a

burial ground A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

from the

Joseon dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

, located in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. The westernmost tomb, called Seonneung, belongs to King Seongjong (1457–1494) the 9th monarch of Joseon. His first wife,

Queen Gonghye Queen Gonghye (Korean: 공혜왕후, Hanja: 恭惠王后; 8 November 1456 – 30 April 1474), of the Cheongju Han clan (Korean: 청주 한씨, Hanja: 淸州韓氏), was the first wife of King Seongjong, 9th monarch of Joseon. She was the Que ...

of the

Cheongju Han clan The Cheongju Han clan (Hangul: 청주 한씨, Hanja: 淸州韓氏) is a Korean noble family. It is also called the House of Han or the Han clan of Cheongju. It is considered one of the most prominent clans since the Gojoseon period. In the Sil ...

(1456–1474) died at age 18 and is buried near

Munsan Munsan is a town of Paju, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It lies on the south bank of the Imjin River, close to the edge of the Demilitarized Zone and near Panmunjom and the Joint Security Area. History Munsan has a heavy military presence beca ...

, north of

. His third wife, Queen Jeonghyeon of the Papyeong Yun clan (1462–1530), is buried here because she gave birth to the future King Jungjong. Queen Jeonghyeon outlived Seongjong by 35 years and was buried in a splendid tomb to the east. Her grave has a stone fence encircling the mound, whereas her husband's tomb has a retaining wall. Statues of civilian and military officials and their horses stand at attention in front of the graves. South of the tombs is a single T-shaped shrine. There are also several auxiliary buildings for storing the materials used during commemorative ceremonies. Queen Jeonghyeon had a deep interest in Buddhism and founded the nearby Bongeunsa Temple. The other tomb is Jeongneung, located at the easternmost part of the site. This is the burial ground of King Jungjong (1487–1544), the 11th monarch of Joseon. He was the second son of Seongjong, and was originally buried in

Goyang Goyang (''Goyang-si''; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province in the north of South Korea. It is part of the Seoul Capital Area, making Goyang one of Seoul's satellite cities. It is one of the largest cities in the Seoul Capital Area, with a populatio ...

, near

. However, his third wife,

Queen Munjeong Queen Munjeong (Hangul: 문정왕후, Hanja: 文定王后; 2 December 1501 – 5 May 1565), of the Papyeong Yun clan, was a posthumous name bestowed to the wife and third queen consort of Yi Yeok, King Jungjong. She was queen consort of Joseon ...

, thought it would be better to have him re-interred closer to his father. She expressed a wish to be buried alongside him, but this wish was never carried out, and his tomb stands alone.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Royal Tombs (video)
Gangnam District Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty

See also

References

External links