Changdong Seowon

About this place

A seowon (Confucian private academy) is a private educational institution established by local Confucian scholars from the mid-Joseon period onward to conduct research and hold memorial rites for eminent Confucian scholars. Changdong Seowon in Ipyeong-myeon, Jeongeup-si, was founded in 1965 at the initiative of local Confucian scholars and enshrines Kim Taek-sul. Kim Taek-sul's family seat is Buan; his courtesy name is Jonghyeon and his pen name is Huchang. At age 17, he traveled to Cheonan Geumgok to study under the scholar Jeon U, from whom he received the pen name Huchang. He participated in Choe Ik-hyeon's Taein righteous army of 1906 and was also associated with Song Byeong-seon and Kim Bok-han. In 1909, when his parents fell ill, he cut his finger to feed them his blood, and when his mother died, he mourned at her grave for three years, becoming renowned for his filial piety. He also resisted Japanese rule by building a study hall called Bulmangshil ('Do Not Forget') to educate future generations and inspire strong anti-Japanese sentiment, dying in 1954. In 1975, he was posthumously enshrined at Gyeyangsa. Changdong Seowon's buildings include a shrine, lecture hall, custodian's quarters, inner gate, and outer gate.