Seungbangwon Shrine

About this place

Seungbangwon — also known as Seungbang Seowon — is located about 10 minutes north of Gimje city center by car. It is a shrine built in 1856 by the Dongnae Jeong clan. The shrine enshrines members of the Dongnae Jeong clan — including Yangheon Jeong In and Pungcheon Jeong Su-hong, both natives of Gimje — as well as other worthy historical figures such as Gukcheol Choe (Choe Cheol) and Byeokseong Bak Yo, honoring both the Jeong family ancestors and exemplary sages of broader virtue. Jeong In was a military official of the late Goryeo period who repelled the Jurchen and the Japanese pirates. Jeong Su-hong served as Censor-General under King Taejong and as Minister of Personnel under King Sejong of Joseon. Choe Cheol was a person of the late Goryeo period who, upon Yi Seonggye's founding of Joseon, withdrew to the countryside to preserve his loyalty. Bak Yo was of the mid-Joseon period (reign of King Jungjong) and worked to promote the flourishing of Neo-Confucianism. The buildings include a shrine with a gabled roof (three bays wide, two bays deep) and a lecture hall that serves the functions of a seowon. Nearby are the Jipyeongseon Ecological Arboretum and Baeksan Reservoir.