Hyeongok Jeongsa

About this place

Seowon were private educational institutions established by local Confucian scholars in the mid-Joseon period for academic research and the veneration of Confucius and great Confucian scholars. Hyeongok Jeongsa is an old building and seowon located near the Gochang Interchange in the western part of Gochang city. It was built in 1924 by Hyeongok Yu Yeong-seon (1893-1961) at the site where his teacher Ganje Jeon U (1841-1922) had taught for about a year, in order to continue scholarly study and nurture future disciples. The building sits on a raised stone foundation with pillars supporting a hip-and-gable roof visible as an octagonal shape from the side, with three bays in front and two on the side. The floor plan consists of a wooden-floored room, a room, a main hall, and a cross-room, with a small storage room behind the cross-room. Hyeongok Jeongsa was designated a Tangible Cultural Heritage of Jeollabuk-do in 1974. A seowon enshrining Jeon U and Yu Yeong-seon was established here in 1955 as Hwagang Seowon. The following year Yongam Temple was built, and it continues to the present day. Nearby attractions include the Gochang Dolmen Sites and Park, Gochang Eupseong Fortress, and Seoktan Pavilion.