Chungnyeolsa Shrine (Busan)

In April 1592, Japanese forces landed at Busan and the Imjin War began. Busanjin Fortress and Dongnae Fortress were the first to be attacked, and many commanders, officials and ordinary people died defending them. Chungnyeolsa, in Allak-dong in Busan's Dongnae district, is the shrine that holds the memorial tablets of those who fell in the Busan area. Its spacious, pine-lined grounds are also a calm place to walk in the middle of the city.

History: from Songgongsa to Chungnyeolsa

The shrine goes back to 1605, when the Dongnae magistrate Yun Hwon built Songgongsa inside the south gate of Dongnae's walled town to honour his predecessor Song Sang-hyeon with annual rites. Song died holding Dongnae Fortress to the end. He is remembered for his reply when the Japanese demanded free passage: "To die fighting is easy; to let you pass is hard" (戰死易 假道難).

In 1624 the court granted the name Chungnyeolsa, and Jeong Bal, the commander who fell at Busanjin Fortress, was enshrined alongside Song. In 1652 the shrine moved to its present site, gaining a lecture hall and dormitories as Allak Seowon, a Confucian academy that combined memorial rites with teaching. Yun Heung-sin, who died defending Dadaejin, was added in 1772. The current layout dates from a restoration programme in 1976–1978.

In 1709 a separate shrine was built on the old Songgongsa site for those who died fighting beside Song and Jeong, among them the Yangsan magistrate Jo Yeong-gyu, the Dongnae instructor No Gae-bang, the scholar Mun Deok-gyeom, the aide Song Bong-su, local clerks and townspeople; in 1736 they were all moved to Chungnyeolsa. When the regent Heungseon Daewongun closed most of Korea's Confucian academies in 1865, Allak Seowon was spared. Chungnyeolsa was designated Busan Tangible Cultural Heritage No. 7 in 1972.

What to see

• Main shrine (Bonjeon): the central hall holding the tablets of 93 people who died in the Busan area, including Song Sang-hyeon, Jeong Bal and Yun Heung-sin. It sits at the top of a broad flight of steps, visible from all over the grounds.
• Uiyeolgak: honours two women who fought the invaders by hurling roof tiles, and Geumseom and Aehyang, who died alongside Song and Jeong.
• Memorial hall: displays on the battles of 1592 in Busan and the people who fell.
• Monument to Song Sang-hyeon's words and the memorial tower: a stone carved with his famous reply and a commemorative tower stand in the grounds.
• The grounds: about 95,000 m² with the main shrine and 15 other buildings. Take a slow walk along the paths among the pines.

Tripto tips

• Opening hours: 09:00–21:00 from April to September and 09:00–20:00 from October to March, open every day.
• Admission: free.
• Memorial rite: held every year on 25 May on behalf of the people of Busan.
• Getting there: the shrine is right outside Chungnyeolsa Station on Busan Metro Line 4.
• Combine with: the remains of Dongnae's walled town and the Bokcheon-dong ancient tombs nearby, to follow the story of Dongnae in 1592.
• Time needed: 40 minutes to 1 hour.