Tomb of Yeonsangun, Seoul

Joseon kings are buried in royal tombs called neung, but this grave in Banghak-dong, Dobong-gu, is merely a myo. That is because it belongs to Yeonsangun, the tenth Joseon king, who was deposed after a reign of terror, and his wife, Lady Shin. There are none of the grand stone figures you see at royal tombs, which is exactly what makes it interesting: it shows how a dethroned king was buried, and comparing it with the Joseon royal tombs tells you a lot.

From king to prince

Yeonsangun, son of King Seongjong and the deposed Queen Yun, came to the throne in 1494. In his early years he reformed institutions and strengthened defence, but two literati purges cost many lives, and he went on to throw the court into chaos with extravagance and excess. In 1506 a coup put King Jungjong on the throne; Yeonsangun was exiled to Gyodongdo Island off Ganghwa and died there the same year. Stripped of his royal status and reduced to a prince, or gun, he was given a grave rather than a royal tomb.

He was first buried at his place of exile. In 1512 his wife petitioned King Jungjong to move the grave, and in 1513 it was reburied here with the rites due to a prince. The site was already home to the graves of his daughter and son-in-law.

What to see

• Two mounds side by side: seen from the front, Yeonsangun lies on the left and Lady Shin on the right. There are no screen stones or stone sheep and horses as at royal tombs, only the lantern, pillars and other stones of a prince's grave.
• The gravestone: the front reads "Grave of Prince Yeonsan". Set it against the steles of royal tombs and his fall in status is plain to see.
• Others buried here: in front of the couple's graves lies Lady Jo, a consort of King Taejong, and below them are Yeonsangun's daughter, Princess Hwisun, and her husband, Gu Mun-gyeong.

Because it is not a royal tomb, the grave was not included in the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2009. It has been a national Historic Site since 1991.

Around Banghak-dong

In Wondangsaem Park in front of the grave stands a huge ginkgo tree several centuries old, which turns the area golden in autumn. Nearby are the literary museum of the poet Kim Su-young and the former home of the art collector Jeon Hyeong-pil, so the lanes of Banghak-dong make a good half-day walk.

A patch of forest among the houses

When the grave was made, this was a remote, little-visited hillside in Yangju. As the city grew, the area filled with houses and apartment blocks, but as a national Historic Site the grave escaped development and still survives as a small wood. Lady Jo, whose grave lies in front of the couple's, died in 1454 and was buried here before Yeonsangun. The grave of Princess Jeongui, King Sejong's second daughter, is also nearby.

Tripto tips

• Visiting: free to enter, closed on Mondays. Published hours are 09:00–18:00 in summer and 09:00–17:00 in winter; check before you go.
• Time needed: 20–30 minutes for the grave alone, about 90 minutes with the ginkgo tree and nearby museum.
• Best time: late autumn, when the ginkgo turns yellow.
• Address: 46 Banghak-ro 17-gil, Dobong-gu, Seoul. It sits in a residential area, so public transport is the easier option.