Jeongchungsa Shrine, Hongseong

This shrine holds the portrait and spirit tablet of Im Deuk-ui (1558–1612), the Joseon general who helped crush the Yi Mong-hak Rebellion in the middle of the Imjin War. Together with his tomb and memorial stele on Cheongnyongsan in Seobu-myeon, Hongseong, it forms a single memorial site that tells the story of a family of meritorious subjects.

Who was Im Deuk-ui?

Im Deuk-ui was a mid-Joseon military officer of the Pyeongtaek Im clan. In July 1596, with the war against Japan dragging on and the population worn down by fighting and famine, Yi Mong-hak raised a rebellion at Hongsan (today's Hongsan-myeon in Buyeo) and marched on Hongju Fortress. Im Deuk-ui joined the Hongju magistrate Hong Ga-sin and others in defending the town and putting down the rebels. For this he was named a third-rank Cheongnan Meritorious Subject and given the title Lord Pyeongseong. He went on to serve as deputy naval commander of Chungcheong and as army commander of western Gyeongsang.

The Yi Mong-hak Rebellion is regarded as the largest internal revolt of the Imjin War years. The rebels took Hongsan, then Imcheon, Cheongyang and other Chungcheong towns, but their assault on Hongju Fortress failed, the movement collapsed and Yi Mong-hak was killed by his own men. Because it stopped an uprising at home while the country was at war, the victory was rewarded with meritorious-subject titles.

The honours spread through the whole family: when Im Deuk-ui was rewarded, 17 of his brothers, nephews and other relatives were listed as associate meritorious subjects, and the Pyeongtaek Im clan became one of the best-known families in the region.

The shrine and the tomb

The jeong (靖) in the shrine's name is a character meaning to calm or pacify, a fitting reminder of the general's role in quelling the revolt. Jeongchungsa was first built in 1632 and rebuilt in 1872 after the original fell into disrepair; that is the building you see today. It was designated a Chungcheongnam-do Cultural Heritage Material on 20 October 2009 and is still looked after by his descendants, the Pyeongseong-gun branch of the Pyeongtaek Im clan.

Im Deuk-ui's tomb lies close by on Cheongnyongsan and was designated a provincial heritage site in its own right in 1995. The memorial stele at the entrance to the tomb was erected in 1917, with an inscription by Kim Bok-han (1860–1924), a late-Joseon official and leader of a righteous army. Walking from the shrine to the tomb and the stele, you can trace how a soldier and his family have been remembered over four centuries.

Tripto tips

• Time needed: about 20 minutes for the shrine, around 40 minutes including the tomb and stele.
• Visiting: this is a clan-run shrine with no ticket office or visitor centre, and the shrine itself may not always be open, so expect to view the buildings and tomb from outside the walls.
• Getting there: the address is 40-1 Pangyo 1-gil, Seobu-myeon, Hongseong-gun. Public transport is impractical, so come by car; it is a little over 20 minutes' drive from Hongseong town.
• Follow the story: Hongju Fortress, where the rebels were stopped, survives as Hongjueupseong Walled Town in the centre of Hongseong, so visiting both links up the events of 1596.
• Nearby: Gyeolseong Fortress and Gyeolseong Hyanggyo are about 3 km away, and Namdang Port on Cheonsu Bay is about 5 km away, which makes a good lunch stop in the autumn king-prawn or spring cockle season.
• When to go: autumn, when the trees around the shrine change colour.