Taereung and Gangneung Royal Tombs

In Gongneung-dong, Nowon-gu, Seoul, next to the national athletes' training village, lie two Joseon royal tombs. Taereung belongs to Queen Munjeong, third consort of King Jungjong, and Gangneung to her son King Myeongjong and Queen Insun. Together they are known as Taegangneung and form part of the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

History: the queen who could not lie beside her husband

Queen Munjeong (1501–1565) ruled from behind the screen as regent for the young Myeongjong and wielded great power. Wishing to be buried beside her husband, she worked with the monk Bou of Bongeunsa to move Jungjong's tomb, Jeongneung, to a site near Bongeunsa in today's Gangnam. That ground was low-lying and flooded every rainy season, so when the queen died in 1565, Myeongjong built his mother's tomb here instead and named it Taereung.

Myeongjong died in 1567, just after completing the three-year mourning for his mother, and was buried on the hill east of Taereung; Queen Insun joined him in 1575, creating Gangneung. Gangneung stayed closed to protect its original state and only opened to visitors on 1 January 2014.

What to see

• Taereung mound: although it holds a single queen, it is on a grand scale. Folding-screen stones and a railing surround the mound; the screen stones carry cloud patterns and figures of the twelve zodiac guardians, with the zodiac names also carved as characters, a practice that began here.
• Stone figures: the civil and military officials and stone lantern are larger than at other royal tombs, typical of the mid-Joseon period. Look for the earring holes in the earlobes of the officials.
• T-shaped shrine: burned during the Korean War and rebuilt in 1994.
• Gangneung: a twin tomb with two mounds side by side inside one wall, linked by a stone railing. Seen from the front, Myeongjong is on the left and Queen Insun on the right.
• Joseon Royal Tombs Exhibition Hall: just past the Taereung ticket office, explaining tomb layout and royal funeral customs. Visit it first to make sense of what you will see.

Good to know

• The Annals of King Seonjo record that Japanese soldiers tried and failed to rob Taereung and Gangneung during the Imjin War.
• Since 2019 the Taereung–Gangneung forest path opens for set periods in spring and autumn. You can then enter at one tomb and walk through the woods to the other, about 30 minutes one way.
• A memorial rite for Queen Munjeong is held at Taereung around 16 May, the anniversary of her death. Living traditions like this were an important reason the Joseon royal tombs became a World Heritage site.

Nearby

• Hwarangdae Railway Park: about 15 minutes' walk from Taereung, on the site of the old Hwarangdae station of the Gyeongchun Line, with trains and a rail-trail.
• Donggureung Royal Tombs in Guri: a cluster of Joseon royal tombs about 4 km away.

Tripto tips

• Opening 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. Closed Mondays (if Monday is a public holiday, closed the next weekday instead).
• Admission: KRW 1,000 for adults, and one ticket covers both Taereung and Gangneung on the same day. Parking is free.
• Entrances: each tomb has its own entrance. Outside forest-path periods, you need to go round by road or bus.
• Time needed: 1.5–2 hours for the exhibition hall and both tombs.