Deokbong Seowon, Anseong

On a slope at the entrance to Deokbong-ri, a village in Yangseong-myeon, Anseong, stands Deokbong Seowon, a Confucian academy dedicated to Oh Du-in (1624–1689), an official who lost his life for speaking out under King Sukjong. It is small, but it is one of only 47 seowon in the country that escaped demolition when the regent Heungseon Daewongun ordered most academies closed in 1871. Its neat layout, with lecture hall and shrine stepped up the hillside, is the reason to come.

History: the scholar who opposed a queen's removal

Oh Du-in came first in the licentiate examination in 1648, topped the special civil service examination the following year and went on to hold a string of posts. In 1689 King Sukjong deposed Queen Inhyeon; Oh, together with Yi Se-hwa and Park Tae-bo, protested and was sentenced to exile in Uiju in the far north. He died on the way, at Paju. Park Tae-bo, who had signed the same protest, died after severe torture, and the episode is remembered as one of the tragedies of Sukjong's reign. He was posthumously made Chief State Councillor in 1694 and given the honorary name Chungjeong, "loyal and upright".

The academy was founded in 1695 to honour his loyalty and to educate local students. In 1697 the king granted it a name board reading "Deokbong", which gave it royal recognition and support. Teaching ended long ago and today it is used only for memorial rites. It was listed as Gyeonggi Province tangible heritage in 1972.

What to see

• "Study in front, shrine behind": the lecture hall Jeonguidang and the east and west dormitories stand on the lower terrace, with the shrine Deokbongsau on the upper one. This is the classic seowon arrangement.
• Three gates: you pass a red Hongsalmun gate, then an outer and an inner three-door gate as you climb, a sequence that makes the academy's hierarchy tangible.
• Age of the buildings: judging by the timber, the shrine and lecture hall date from the 19th century. The dormitories were damaged in the 1940s and later rebuilt.
• Setting: low hills wrap around the back and the village and fields open out in front, which explains why the site was chosen.

Seowon were private academies for study and for rites to revered scholars, but by late Joseon there were so many that they became a burden, which is why the regent closed most of them. Those that survived, like Deokbong, mostly honoured figures the state held in special regard, which gives this small rural academy its weight.

Tripto tips

• Access: Anseong City lists it as always open and free, but the buildings are sometimes locked, so expect to enjoy the layout from outside the walls. Enquiries: Anseong City Culture and Tourism Division, +82 31-678-2505.
• Address: 529-8 Deokbongseowon-ro, Yangseong-myeon, Anseong.
• Time needed: 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Getting there: about 9 km west of central Anseong in a straight line. Buses to this rural village are infrequent, so a car is easiest.
• Combine with: the historic house of Oh Jeong-bang, also in Yangseong-myeon, to see more of the Haeju Oh family's legacy.