Seooreung Royal Tombs

Seooreung in Yongdu-dong, Deogyang-gu, Goyang, is a cluster of royal tombs of the Joseon dynasty. The name means "five tombs in the west": five royal tombs of kings and queens, plus several tombs of princes and royal consorts, are spread across a large wooded park. It is a quiet place within bus distance of central Seoul where you can see how a Joseon royal tomb is laid out and compare the different ranks of royal burial in one visit.

History: it began with the eldest son of King Sejo

The story starts in 1457. When Crown Prince Uigyeong, the eldest son of King Sejo, died, he was buried here; after he was posthumously elevated to King Deokjong, his tomb became Gyeongneung. Later came Changneung (King Yejong and Queen Ansun), Ingneung (Queen Ingyeong, first wife of King Sukjong), Myeongneung (King Sukjong and two of his queens) and Hongneung (Queen Jeongseong, first wife of King Yeongjo). It is the second-largest Joseon royal tomb cluster after Donggureung, became a Historic Site in 1970 and was inscribed as part of the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2009.

What to see

• Gyeongneung: normally the king lies on the right and the queen on the left; here it is the other way round. Deokjong, who died as crown prince, has a simpler tomb than his wife Queen Sohye, who died after being made queen dowager.
• Changneung: the first tomb built here as a king's tomb, with a stone railing around the mound.
• Ingneung: unusually, the twelve zodiac signs are carved as characters on the top of the child-figure stones.
• Myeongneung: built on King Sukjong's orders to save labour and money, with stone figures reduced to nearly life size.
• Hongneung: King Yeongjo left the space to the right of his queen empty for himself, but was eventually buried at Donggureung. The right side is still empty, with only the stone figures arranged for a double tomb.

Neung, won and myo

Joseon royal tombs were named by rank. Kings and queens were buried in a neung, a king's birth mother, crown princes and their wives in a won, and princes, princesses and royal concubines in a myo. Seooreung has all three: Sunchangwon, the first won of the dynasty (Crown Prince Sunhoe, eldest son of King Myeongjong), Sugyeongwon (Lady Yeongbin Yi, mother of Crown Prince Sado) and Daebinmyo (Royal Consort Hui-bin Jang, mother of King Gyeongjong). Daebinmyo was moved here from Gwangju in 1969, Sugyeongwon from today's Sinchon area in 1970.

Tripto tips

• Opening hours: Feb–May and Sep–Oct 07:00–18:00, Jun–Aug 07:00–18:30, Nov–Jan 07:00–17:30. Last entry one hour before closing.
• Closed: every Monday. If Monday is a public holiday, the site opens and closes on the next weekday instead.
• Admission: KRW 1,000 for adults. Free for foreigners aged 18 or under or 65 and over, and for visitors in full hanbok.
• Getting there: from Line 3 Nokbeon Station exit 4 (towards Eunpyeong-gu Office) or the central bus stop at Hongje Station exit 2, take bus 702A, 702B or 707 to "Seooreung Ipgu". From Line 6 Gusan Station exit 1, take bus 707.
• Time needed: allow 1.5–2 hours to see all five tombs. Forest paths link the tombs, so wear comfortable shoes.