Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty

The Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty refers to the 40 tombs of members of the Korean Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910). These tombs are scattered in over 18 locations across South Korea. They were built to honour and respect the ancestors and their achievements, and assert their royal authority. The tombs have been registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2009.

Structure of the Tombs

The royal tombs can be divided into three main parts:

The part around Jeongjagak

It is the meeting point between the dead and the living.The area around Hongsalmun gate is the space for the living.

The area just past the gate

This is the space between the earthly and the holy. This is the area where the spirits of the kings and queens meet their earthly worshippers. This area also contains the Jeongjagak shrine, the Subokbang, and the Suragan buildings.

The sacred ground of the grave mounds

This area also includes the wall, and the other stone structures.


Other Important Structures of the Tombs

Muninseok Statues of scholars placed on the left and right sides of the Jangmyeongdeung lantern.

Muinseok Statue of a soldier said to be guarding the king and is placed below the Muninseok.

Seongma A horse statue.

Yegam It is located on the left-side corner behind the Jeongjagak and is used for burning the wrtten prayes after a burial service.

Bigak A building which has a stone monument where the names of the king and the queen are written at the front, while at the back was written the list of the king's accomplishments.

Jeongjagak This is where memorial services are held.

Chamdo These are two stone-covered paths that leads to the Jeongjagak. The higher path is called Sindo (The Path of the Gods), while the lower path is called Eodo (The Path Of the King). Only the Eodo path can be used by visitors in accordance to Korean custom.

Subokbang This is the living quarter of the officer guarding the tomb.

Suragan This is where the food for the memorial services are brought and prepared.

Baewi This is where the king and memorial service officials knelt in honor of the deceased king. It is also called Panwi or Eobaseok.

Hongsalmun This is the gate with two red cylindrical pillars.

Tombs

The tombs are classified into two types. Tombs of the kings and queens and those posthumously granted the title of king or queen, were interred in neung-type tombs. Crown princes and their wives, as well as the parents of royalty, were interred in won-type tombs. The royal tombs are scattered over 18 locations, with many of them located 40 kilometers from Hanseong (present-day Seoul). Indeed, the Jangneung tomb is in Yeongwol, Gangwon-do, while the Yeongneung tombs are in Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do. Tombs were made for individuals as well as family groups. There are 40 neung-type and 13 won-type tombs, thus creating a total of 53 royal tombs.


Joseon-era royal tombs followed the guidelines outlined in Chinese Confucian texts, such as the Book of Rites (Li Ji) and the Rites of Zhou (Zhou Li). Many factors went into consideration when deciding the location of a tomb, such as the distance from Hanyang, the distance in relation to other royal tombs, the accessibility of the location, and Korean traditions of pungsu (geomancy). The tomb construction also took into account traditional burial rituals of Korea and the natural environment.

There now follows a list (in alphebatical order) of the individual (or clusters of) tombs. There are two more royal tombs from the Joseon Dynasty in Kaesong, North Korea, namely Jereung (제릉) (the tomb of Queen Sinui, who was King Taejo's first consort) and Hureung (후릉) (the tomb of King Jeongjong and Queen Jeongan).

Seolleung and Jeongneung (선릉&정릉)

Jeongneung: Seolleung and Jeongneung are in the south of Seoul. Jeongneung is not to be confused with its namesake on the southern slopes of Bukhansan, also in Seoul. The tombs are in a park, the entrance of which is 340 metres from Seolleung Station.