Seoul Taereung (Queen Munjeong) and Gangreung (King Myeongjong & Queen Insun) [UNESCO World Heritage]

About this place

Taereung is the tomb of Queen Munjeong of the Papyeong Yun clan (1501–1565), the third queen consort of King Jungjong (r. 1506–1544), the 11th ruler of the Joseon Dynasty. When Queen Munjeong passed away in 1565 (the 20th year of King Myeongjong's reign), the tomb site was initially chosen near Jungjong's Jeongneung (called Sinjeongneung, the "New Jeongneung"), but due to King Myeongjong's opposition, the present site was designated as her tomb and named Taereung. Originally, Queen Munjeong had wished to be buried together with her husband Jungjong, and after consulting with Bou, then the abbot of Bongeunsa Temple, she moved Jungjong's tomb — which had stood beside Huireung, the tomb of his second queen consort, Queen Janggyeong — to its present location on the grounds that the original site was inauspicious according to feng shui. However, the relocated Jeongneung lay on low ground and frequently suffered flood damage when it rained, so King Myeongjong decided to place his mother's tomb at the present site. According to the Annals of King Seonjo, during the Japanese invasions of 1592 (the 25th year of King Seonjo's reign), just as with Seolleung and Jeongneung, the Japanese forces also attempted to loot Taereung and Gangneung but failed. Taereung was built according to the rites of the Gukjo Oryeui (National Code of the Five Rites), and the burial mound is surrounded by stone screens (byeongpungseok) and stone railings (nangganseok). The stone screens are carved with cloud patterns and the twelve zodiac deities, and the twelve zodiac signs are also inscribed as characters. Originally, inscribing the twelve zodiac signs as characters was applied only when the stone screen was omitted and only the stone railing was built, but beginning with Taereung, both the zodiac deity figures and the characters came to be carved together. The stone figures such as the civil and military officials and the stone lanterns (jangmyeongdeung) at the burial site were erected larger than those at other Joseon royal tombs, which is a feature of the mid-Joseon style. In particular, it is unusual that the earlobes of the civil and military stone figures have holes for earrings. The T-shaped shrine (jeongjagak) below the burial mound, which was destroyed during the Korean War, was restored in 1994. Gangneung is the tomb of King Myeongjong (r. 1545–1567), the 13th ruler of Joseon, and his queen consort, Queen Insun of the Cheongsong Sim clan (1532–1575). Gangneung takes the form of a twin tomb (ssangneung), with the burial mounds placed side by side within a single curved wall; when viewed from the front, the left (west) is King Myeongjong's and the right (east) is Queen Insun's tomb. Gangneung was built on the eastern hill of Taereung in 1567 (the 22nd year of King Myeongjong's reign), when King Myeongjong passed away just a few days after completing the three-year mourning period for his mother, Queen Munjeong. Later, when Queen Insun passed away in 1575 (the 8th year of King Seonjo's reign), her tomb was built to the east of King Myeongjong's, resulting in its present appearance. Overall, because it was built two years after Queen Munjeong's Taereung, it closely resembles Taereung. The two burial mounds are surrounded by stone screens and stone railings, and the two mounds are connected by the stone railing. Around the mounds are placed stone figures of civil and military officials, stone horses, stone lanterns, stone tables (honyuseok), and stone pillars (mangjuseok), and below the burial site stand a T-shaped shrine, a stele pavilion, and a red-spiked gate (hongsalmun).