Uiseong Gyeongdeokwang Royal Tomb

About this place

The Uiseong Gyeongdeokwang Royal Tomb is believed to be the tomb of King Gyeongdeok (the Gyeongdeok of Jomun State), located among the ancient burial mounds in Daeri-ri, Geumseong-myeon, Uiseong-gun. Jomun State was a tribal state of the Samhan era that had its capital in present-day Geumseong-myeon, Uiseong-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and reportedly continued until 185 CE before being absorbed into Silla. However, records of Jomun State's actual existence appear only briefly in the Samguk Sagi, and almost no documentary sources survive. The traditional Gyeongdeokwang Tomb is a conventional ancient burial mound with a granite stele and altar stone beneath the mound. The tomb perimeter is 74 m and height 8 m. A 42 cm wide, 22 cm deep, 1.6 m tall stele stands in front. In 1725, the county governor Yi Wooshin expanded the tomb and erected a dismounting stone (ha-ma-bi). Memorial rites, suspended during the Japanese colonial period, were revived by the Gyeongdeokwang Preservation Society. The tomb precinct, surrounded by pine trees, is adorned with a stele inscribed 'Jomun State Gyeongdeokwang Tomb,' civil servant stone figures, a stone lantern, and altar. Adjacent is the Jomun State Ancient Tomb Exhibition Hall.