Samjeondo Monument

The Samjeondo Monument is a stele that Joseon was forced to erect to the "virtues" of the Qing emperor Hong Taiji after surrendering to the Qing in the war of 1636. Its official name is the Stele to the Merits and Virtues of the Emperor of the Great Qing. The stone is 3.95 m tall and 1.4 m wide and stands on a stone turtle. Today it sits on a rise by the west lake of Seokchon Lake, so right next to Lotte World you come face to face with one of the most humiliating moments in Joseon history.

History: the surrender at Samjeondo

During the Qing invasion, King Injo held out in Namhansanseong Fortress until he was forced to come down and surrender at Samjeondo, a ferry crossing on the Han River where the Qing army was camped. After the war, Hong Taiji demanded a monument to his virtues, and it was erected in 1639. The text was composed by Yi Gyeong-seok, the calligraphy was by O Jun, and the title was written by Yeo I-jing. The scholar Song Si-yeol later attacked Yi Gyeong-seok for having written it.

The front is inscribed in Manchu and Mongolian, the back in Classical Chinese. Because all three texts say almost the same thing, the stele is also an important source for the study of Manchu and Mongolian.

Buried and raised again

The stele has had a troubled life. When the First Sino-Japanese War ended Joseon's ties with the Qing in 1895, it was sunk in the river. It was raised again in 1913 under Japanese rule, then buried by local people after liberation in 1945 until a flood exposed it again. It was designated a Historic Site in 1963, moved several times, and placed in Seokchon-dong in 1983. After research, it was moved in 2010 to the hill by the west lake, about 30 m from its original location, which now lies under the water of Seokchon Lake. In 2007 it was defaced with red paint.

What to see

• The front: Manchu and Mongolian scripts carved side by side, a rare chance to see both on one stone.
• The Chinese text on the back: It praises the Qing emperor's kindness, and makes you think about the position Joseon was in when it had to carve these words.
• The turtle base: The head and shell pattern of the stone turtle are well preserved.
• Information board: A sign beside the stele explains the war and the monument's moves.

The road to war

The Jurchens, who had sent tribute to Joseon in its early years, grew powerful as the Ming dynasty weakened and founded the Later Jin. In 1627 they invaded Joseon and imposed a relationship of "elder and younger brother". After renaming their state Qing, they demanded that Joseon become a vassal. When Joseon refused, Hong Taiji personally led around 100,000 troops into Korea in 1636, beginning the war Koreans call Byeongja Horan.

Samjeondo, meaning "crossing of the three fields", lay near Sambatnaru, a major Han River crossing since early Joseon. It was the shortest route to Gwangju and the southern provinces, and the road to King Taejong's tomb at the foot of Daemosan. The Qing army camped at this crossing near Namhansanseong, and here King Injo performed the rites of surrender to Hong Taiji. For a long time the stele was therefore also called the "stele of shame".

Tripto tips

• Location: On the hill on the west-lake side of Seokchon Lake in Jamsil-dong, Songpa-gu. You can walk there along the lakeside path from Jamsil Station.
• Opening: It stands outdoors in the park, with no fee or opening hours.
• Time: 20–30 minutes for the stele itself. Combine it with a walk around Seokchon Lake.
• Combine with: Visiting Namhansanseong, where the siege took place, completes the story, and the nearby Seokchon-dong Ancient Tombs show stone burial mounds from Baekje's Hanseong period.