Yerim Seowon is a former

seowon Seowon () were the most common educational institutions of Korea during the mid- to late Joseon Dynasty. They were private institutions, and combined the functions of a Confucian shrine and a preparatory school. In educational terms, the seowon w ...

Miryang Miryang (perhaps pronounced as Milbeol using Idu script), formerly also spelled as 推火郡 (probably pronounced as Milbeol or Miribeol using Idu script), Milbeol (密伐) and Milseong (密城), is a city in Gyeongsangnam-do Province, South Ko ...

Gyeongsangnam-do South Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상남도, translit=Gyeongsangnam-do, ) is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is at Changwon. It is adjacent to the major metropolitan center and port of Busan. The UNESCO World H ...

. It is located in Bubuk-myeon on the slopes of Jongnamsan, in the valley of the

Miryang River The Miryang River is a tributary of the Nakdong River which flows through Miryang City. It rises in Ulsan metropolitan city, on the slopes of Gohyeonsan, and flows for 101.5 kilometers before joining the Nakdong in Miryang's Samnangjin-eup. Its ...

. The Yerim Seowon was built in 1567 by Yi Do-u to enshrine

Kim Jong-jik Gim Jongjik (Hangul:김종직, 1431–1492), often known by his pen name Jeompiljae(점필재), was a leading Korean Neo-Confucian scholar in the early Joseon Dynasty. He was born in Miryang in Gyeongsang province, to a yangban family of the Seo ...

, a Confucian scholar and politician who was native to Miryang. At that time it bore the name "Deokseong Seowon." Destroyed during Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea in the 1590s, it was rebuilt in 1606. In 1669 it received a royal warrant. The seowon, like most of those across Korea, was closed by order of the regent

Daewon-gun Heungseon Daewongun (흥선대원군, 興宣大院君, 21 December 1820 – 22 February 1898; ), also known as the Daewongun (대원군, 大院君), Guktaegong (국태공, 國太公, "The Great Archduke") or formally Internal King Heungseon Heon ...

in 1871. However, beginning in 1874 local scholars once again began to gather there, although it no longer served as a school. It continues in use as a shrine today, and was designated a tangible cultural treasure of Gyeongsangnam-do in 1974.

External links

Naver Encyclopedia entry

Asian Historical Architecture: Yerim Seowon
{{coord missing, South Korea Seowon Miryang Buildings and structures in South Gyeongsang Province