Namyangju Sareung Royal Tomb

Sareung in Namyangju is the tomb of Queen Jeongsun (1440–1521), consort of Danjong, the sixth king of Joseon. She became queen as a teenager, lost her husband and then lived alone for more than 60 years, which gives this small tomb one of the most poignant stories among the Joseon royal tombs. It is quiet, framed by pine woods, and part of the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty World Heritage Site listed in 2009.

The queen who never stopped mourning

Jeongsun became Danjong's queen in 1454, but everything collapsed when his uncle, Grand Prince Suyang (later King Sejo), seized the throne. In 1457 Danjong was demoted, exiled to Yeongwol and died the same year, and she lost her title too. She is said to have lived for the rest of her life in a small house outside the capital's east gate, always dressed in white and never eating meat or fish.

When she died in 1521, she was buried not as a queen but as the wife of a demoted prince. Having no children, she was laid to rest in the family cemetery of the Haeju Jeong clan, in-laws of Danjong's elder sister Princess Gyeonghye, and the Jeong family continued her rites. In 1698 Danjong was restored as king, she was restored as queen, and her grave became Sareung (思陵), written with the character for "longing", in memory of a lifetime spent missing her husband.

A small, modest royal tomb

• The mound: no carved screen stones or railings, only a ring of protective stones, with a low wall on three sides. Because she was restored posthumously, the tomb was never made grand.
• Stone figures: civil officials, stone horses, a stone lantern, an offering table and pillar stones, with just one pair each of stone sheep and tigers. The square-roofed lantern is typical of the late 17th century.
• Buildings below: a red gate, the T-shaped ritual hall, a stele pavilion, a royal kitchen and a guardhouse. The stele reads "Sareung of Queen Jeongsun of Joseon".
• Jeong family graves: when the tomb was rebuilt, officials proposed moving the surrounding Jeong family graves, but King Sukjong ordered them left in place, so they still lie close by.

Closed for decades

Sareung first opened to the public in 1973, closed again in 1980 for lack of visitors, and for years served as a nursery for trees and wildflowers destined for the royal palaces and tombs. It reopened fully on 1 January 2014, and in 2020 a woodland path from the red gate to the site office was opened.

Tripto tips

• Hours: February–May and September–October 09:00–18:00, June–August 09:00–18:30, November–January 09:00–17:30. Last entry one hour before closing (2026).
• Closed: Mondays. If Monday is a public holiday, it opens and closes on the next weekday instead.
• Tickets: KRW 1,000, KRW 800 per person in groups of ten or more. Fees for palaces and royal tombs are due to change from January 2027.
• Time needed: 40–60 minutes for the tomb and the woodland path.
• Getting there: about 2 km from Sareung Station on the Gyeongchun Line. Drivers can use the free car park.
• Nearby: her husband Danjong lies at Jangneung (莊陵) in Yeongwol, Gangwon-do. Hongneung and Yureung, the tombs of Emperors Gojong and Sunjong, are a short drive away and make a good pairing for a day of royal tombs in Namyangju.