Tomb of Prince Namyeon

Heungseon Daewongun staked his family's fortunes on the site of a single grave. Told that a certain spot would produce "Sons of Heaven for two generations", he moved the tomb of his father, Prince Namyeon, from Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi Province to the foot of Gayasan in Yesan, burning down the temple that stood there. His second son, born a few years later, became King Gojong. Then, in 1868, the German merchant Ernst Oppert tried and failed to dig up this very grave, an incident that hardened Joseon's closed-door policy.

Who was Prince Namyeon?

Prince Namyeon, Yi Gu (?–1822), was a sixth-generation descendant of Grand Prince Inpyeong, third son of King Injo. He was adopted as heir to Prince Eunsin, a half-brother of King Jeongjo, and given the title Prince Namyeon. His son Yi Ha-eung became Heungseon Daewongun, the powerful regent, and his grandson became King Gojong. Namyeon died in 1822 and was first buried in Yeoncheon.

A tomb built on a burned temple

The auspicious site the Daewongun found lay in the valley below Seokmunbong Peak on the east side of Gayasan, right in the middle of a large temple called Gayasa. Tradition says the valley once held 99 hermitages. The Daewongun burned the temple, tore down the pagoda behind it and reburied his father on the spot. The pagoda is said to have been a gold pagoda erected by the Goryeo monk Naong, and some say it was buried inside the tomb. A few years after the reburial his second son, Myeongbok, was born, and in 1863 he succeeded King Cheoljong at the age of 12. Both Gojong and his son Sunjong went on to become emperors, which made the geomancy story even more famous. It inspired the 2018 film Fengshui (Myeongdang).

The Oppert incident

Ernst Oppert, a German trader based in Shanghai, had twice asked Joseon to open trade in 1866 and been refused. In 1868, backed by money from the American Frederick Jenkins and guided by the French missionary Féron, he sailed into Asan Bay and landed at Deoksan. The plan was to seize Prince Namyeon's remains and use them to force open trade, but the party failed to open the tomb and withdrew. The affair made the Daewongun even more hostile to Western powers and intensified the persecution of Catholics.

What to see

• The mound and stone figures: the tomb sits on a high hill in a 5,590 m² precinct, listed as a South Chungcheong Provincial Monument in 1989. The ridges of Gayasan rise behind the mound like a folding screen.
• Namyeon stele: in front of the tomb stands a stele on a tall square base with a roof-shaped capstone. The words "Namyeongun Chungjeong" (南延君忠正) run horizontally across the front. It was erected after Gojong came to the throne, with an inscription by Chief State Councillor Jo Du-sun.
• Gayasa temple site: roof-tile fragments and large foundation stones scattered in the surrounding fields are what remains of Gayasa. The site was listed as a provincial monument in 1998, and excavations are continuing.
• Maitreya of Sangga-ri: nearby stands a pillar-like Goryeo-style stone Buddha. It is called Maitreya, but the small Buddha on its crown suggests it actually depicts Avalokitesvara.

The funeral bier that carried Prince Namyeon's body, the Nameundeul Bier (a National Folklore Heritage item), was long kept in a shed in Nameundeul village near Deoksan and is now held at the National Palace Museum of Korea in Seoul.

Tripto tips

• Access: open at all times, all year. Admission and parking are free, and there are toilets.
• Time needed: 40 minutes to 1 hour for the tomb, the stele and the temple site.
• Location: it lies in the Gayasan district of Deoksan Provincial Park, and the valley around the tomb is the old Gayasa temple site.
• Nearby: combine it with Sudeoksa Temple, about 6 km away, the Deoksan hot springs and Chunguisa, the shrine to independence activist Yun Bong-gil, for a full day in Deoksan.