Gyeongju Jeonggangwang Royal Tomb

About this place

This is the tomb of Jeonggang, the 50th king of Silla (r. 886–887), second son of King Gyeongmun and younger brother of Heongang. He erected a hundred-seat platform at Hwangnyongsa and personally attended Buddhist lectures. Stricken with grave illness, he left instructions for his younger sister (Queen Jinseong) to succeed him, and died after a reign of barely one year. Like Heongang, he was buried southeast of Borisa Temple. The tomb lies at the end of the northeastern ridge of Namsan in Gyeongju, with Heongangwang's tomb to the north. The mound is a circular earthen tumulus ringed by three tiers of stone at the base, with only the lowest tier protruding slightly. In front is a stone platform supporting a small stone altar. A 1993 excavation of Heongangwang's tomb found artifacts suggesting an 8th-century date, inconsistent with these kings' 9th-century reigns.