Sungeuisa Shrine

About this place

Located in Yangam-ri, Nam-myeon, Taean-gun, South Chungcheong Province, Sungeuisa Shrine was established to honor the three ancestors of the Soju Ga clan: Ga Yu-yak, Ga Sang, and Ga Chim. The history behind the shrine's founding is as follows: Ga Yu-yak, the progenitor of the Soju Ga clan, was a distinguished Chinese general who came to Korea as a reinforcement during the Imjin War (Japanese invasions of 1592) and rendered meritorious service. During the Jeongyu War of 1597, he came again to Korea with Ga Sang and Ga Chim to fight the Japanese, and both Ga Yu-yak and Ga Sang were killed in battle near Busan. Ga Chim sought to avenge them on the battlefield but was restrained by those around him; instead, he recovered the bodies and gave them proper burial. Ga Chim's four sons then came to Taean—close to the mainland—hoping to return to China, but unable to find passage, settled permanently in Taean. Their descendants petitioned the court, and Sungeuisa Shrine was established in the 2nd year of King Cheoljong (1851). Due to its historically significant founding, the shrine was designated a cultural heritage material on August 30, 1988.