Tomb of Prince Namyeon

About this place

The Tomb of Prince Namyeon is the burial site of Prince Namyeon (personal name Yi Gu, 1788-1836), father of Joseon's Heungseon Daewongun and grandfather of King Gojong. The tomb is located in the Gaya Mountain section of Deoksan Provincial Park. Originally sited in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, this location had been home to Gayasa Temple. However, after Heungseon Daewongun heard that the site was described in geomantic terms as a place where 「two successive emperors」 would arise, he burned Gayasa Temple to the ground and had his father's remains reinterred here. Indeed, the Daewongun's household subsequently produced two emperors — Gojong and Sunjong. In 1868, the German adventurer Ernst Oppert attempted to dig up the tomb to use Prince Namyeon's remains as a hostage in demanding trade negotiations with Joseon, but the attempt failed. The incident deepened Joseon's isolationist policy and led to intensified persecution of Catholics. Now restored and designated as a Chungnam Provincial Monument in 1989, the site is open to visitors. Nearby are Gaya Mountain, the Mireukbul of Sangga-ri, Deoksan Hot Springs, Chungeuisa (the Yun Bong-gil patriot shrine), and the Yun Bong-gil Memorial Museum.