Jongmyo Shrine

Jongmyo is the royal ancestral shrine where the spirit tablets of the kings and queens of the Joseon dynasty were kept and honoured with rites. It lies in the middle of Jongno in central Seoul, yet behind its walls the woods, wide stone courtyards and the endless roof of the main hall feel far removed from the city. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995, and the royal ancestral rite and its music performed here are on UNESCO's intangible heritage list.

History: built with the new capital

When King Taejo moved his capital to Hanyang (Seoul), the first things he built were the ancestral shrine and the altar of land and grain, the shrine to the east and the altar to the west of the palace according to Confucian principles. Work began in the twelfth month of the year of the move and was completed in the ninth month of 1395; that autumn the tablets of Taejo's four ancestors were brought from Gaeseong. In 1421, under King Sejong, the separate hall Yeongnyeongjeon was built for tablets that could no longer be kept in the main hall. The buildings burned during the Japanese invasions and were rebuilt under Gwanghaegun (sources differ: 1601 or 1608). Ritual rules originally allowed only five tablets in the main hall, but kings of great merit came to be kept there permanently instead of being moved to Yeongnyeongjeon; Taejong, Sejong, Sejo and Seongjong were among them. Under King Myeongjong four bays were added, making eleven, and whenever more tablets had to be enshrined the halls were extended sideways until they reached their present size.

What to see

• Jeongjeon (main hall): 101 m long, with 19 tablet chambers under one roof, often cited as the longest building of traditional Korean design. A major repair begun in June 2020 was completed in April 2025, replacing factory-made roof tiles with handmade ones and repainting the exterior with traditional pigments.
• The stone terrace: the broad platform in front of the main hall, about 150 m long and 100 m wide, is the stage for music and dance during the rites.
• Yeongnyeongjeon: the "Hall of Eternal Peace", whose name expresses the wish that ancestors and descendants live in lasting peace, holds the tablets of posthumously honoured kings and those moved from the main hall.
• The spirit road: the stone path from the entrance is slightly raised in the middle. The centre was for carrying incense, the east side for the king and the west side for the crown prince.
• The three gates: the south gate was for the spirits, the east gate for the king and the west gate for the musicians and dancers of the rite.

Beyond the main hall

• Mangmyoru and the square pond: Mangmyoru is where the king rested during the rites, looking towards the main hall and thinking of his ancestors. The pond beside it, made in 1443 under King Sejong, is square with a round island in the middle, reflecting the old idea that heaven is round and the earth square.
• Gongsindang and Chilsadang: below the terrace of the main hall, to the east and west. Gongsindang holds tablets of meritorious subjects who served the kings. Yeongnyeongjeon has no such hall, since the posthumously honoured kings enshrined there never actually ruled over officials.
• Akgongcheong: where the musicians waited and rehearsed before the rites. Jongmyo's ritual music is a rare form that combines song, dance and instrumental music.
• Yeongnyeongjeon's layout: the central four bays hold Taejo's four ancestors, with side wings bringing the total to 16 bays. Only the central section matches the height of the main hall; the wings are lower.

Good to know

The main hall holds the tablets of 19 kings and 30 queens. When the buildings burned in the Japanese invasions, the original tablets were saved by hiding them in a commoner's house. The most recent enshrinements took place in Yeongnyeongjeon in 1973 and 1991, for Crown Prince Euimin and his wife. Jongmyo was once linked by woodland to Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung, until Yulgok-ro was cut through in 1932. The road has since been put into a tunnel and covered with green space, joining the sites again. The royal ancestral rite is held every year on the first Sunday of May, with a royal procession.

Tripto tips

• Closed: every Tuesday. If Tuesday is a public holiday, the shrine opens and closes on the next weekday.
• Visiting rules change by day. On Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays and Wednesdays ("Culture Day") you can walk around freely. On Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays entry is only at set times with a guide, for about 50 minutes. English tours run at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00; places per tour are limited, part bookable online and part sold on site.
• Hours: Feb–May and Sep–Oct 09:00–18:00, Jun–Aug 09:00–18:30, Nov–Jan 09:00–17:30; last entry one hour before closing.
• Admission: KRW 1,000 for adults. The integrated palace pass (KRW 6,000) covers the four palaces and Jongmyo, and visitors in full hanbok enter free.
• Getting there: about 5 minutes on foot from Jongno 3-ga Station exits 11 and 8 (Lines 1, 3 and 5). There is no shrine car park.
• Time needed: 1–1.5 hours. On free-visit days the north gate on Yulgok-ro is open, which makes it easy to combine with Changgyeonggung.