Gimpo Jangneung Royal Tomb

Gimpo Jangneung is the Joseon royal tomb where King Injo's father, Wonjong, and mother, Queen Inheon, lie side by side. Wonjong never sat on the throne in his lifetime; he was made a king only after his son took power, and his grave was raised from a prince's "won" to a royal "neung" tomb. It is one of the 40 Joseon royal tombs listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009, and it sits right next to downtown Gimpo, with a pond and pine woods that make for an easy loop walk.

The king who never reigned

Wonjong (1580–1619) was Prince Jeongwon, the fifth son of King Seonjo. He died a prince, but everything changed in 1623, when a palace coup put his eldest son on the throne as King Injo. Injo first honoured his father with the title of grand prince and then, in 1632, gave him the royal name Wonjong.

The site began as Yukgyeongwon, the grave of Injo's mother, Lady Gu (later Queen Inheon), who died in 1626. The following year his father's grave was moved here from elsewhere, so the two mounds now stand together, and with the posthumous promotion the tomb was renamed Jangneung (章陵). A stele pavilion below the tomb holds a marker stone set up in 1753. Kings Yeongjo and Jeongjo are said to have come here every year to perform ancestral rites.

What to see

• The twin mounds: two burial mounds sit side by side inside one low enclosure wall. Seen from the front, Wonjong lies on the left (west) and Queen Inheon on the right (east). There are no carved screen stones or railings, a plain style typical of mid-Joseon royal tombs.
• Stone figures: the stone sheep and tigers around the mounds, the pillar stones and the civil and military officials each have their own expression, and they reward a closer look.
• Red gate and T-shaped shrine: the stone path from the red hongsalmun gate to the T-shaped ritual hall is split into two lanes of different heights. The slightly higher lane was for the spirit, the lower one for the king.
• Ritual house and pond: the jaesil, where rites were prepared, and a woodland pond lie below the tomb. The suggested route runs history hall → ritual house → pond → tomb.

Three tombs called Jangneung

Three Joseon royal tombs share the Korean name Jangneung: 章陵 in Gimpo (Wonjong), 莊陵 in Yeongwol (King Danjong) and 長陵 in Paju (King Injo). Father and son are therefore buried in two different "Jangneung" tombs, Wonjong in Gimpo and Injo in Paju. The Chinese characters on the signs tell them apart.

A view that made headlines

Look south from the tomb, towards Mt. Gyeyangsan, and you will see the high-rise blocks of Geomdan New Town in Incheon. In 2021 these "royal-tomb-view apartments" sparked a national debate; the heritage administration ordered construction to stop, but in 2024 the Supreme Court upheld rulings in favour of the builders. It is a vivid example of how hard it is to protect the setting of a World Heritage Site.

Tripto tips

• Hours (as of October 2026): February–May and September–October 07:00–18:00, June–August 07:00–18:30, November–January 07:00–17:30. Last entry is one hour before closing.
• Closed: Mondays. If Monday is a public holiday, the tomb opens and closes on the next weekday instead.
• Tickets: KRW 1,000 per person, KRW 800 in groups of ten or more. Visitors aged 24 and under or 65 and over enter free. Fees for palaces and royal tombs are due to be revised from January 2027, so check before you go.
• Time needed: allow 60–90 minutes for the history hall, tomb and pond. Opening at 07:00, it also works as an early-morning walk.
• Getting there: the ticket office is about 1 km from Sau (Gimpo City Hall) Station on the Gimpo Goldline, an easy walk. Parking is free.
• Best time: fresh green in May and autumn colour from late October to early November.