Gwangneung Royal Tomb
광릉
The tomb of Sejo and Queen Jeonghui, and the first to place two mounds on separate hills under a single shrine. The forest around it has been protected ever since the tomb was laid out.
Language
Place information
- Korean name
- 광릉
- Address
- 354 Gwangneungsumogwon-ro, Namyangju, Gyeonggi-do
- Opening hours
- Feb–May, Sep–Oct 09:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00) Jun–Aug 09:00–18:30 (last entry 17:30) Jan, Nov–Dec 09:00–17:30 (last entry 16:30)
- Closed
- Every Mon (open if it falls on a public holiday; closed the next weekday instead)
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Admission
- ₩1,000
- Operated by
- Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre
Prices
| Adult(domestic visitors 25-64, foreign visitors 19-64) | ₩1,000 |
|---|---|
| Admission(Korean nationals aged 24 and under or 65 and over (photo ID required)) | Free |
| Admission(foreign visitors aged 18 and under or 65 and over) | Free |
| Admission(visitors wearing hanbok, including modernised hanbok) | Free |
| the last Wednesday of each month, Culture Day | Free |
| Group(groups of ten or more) | ₩800 |
Source: Royal Palaces and Tombs Centre — royal tomb admission ·
What to see
History and Culture Hall
Gwangneung’s history and culture hall first opened in 2011 and was reorganised in 2021. Its displays cover the Joseon royal tombs as a World Heritage site, Gwangneung and the story of Sejo and Queen Jeonghui, and the making of the tomb alongside the Gwangneung forest.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Jaesil (Ritual House)
The ritual house is both the working quarters of the officials who managed the tomb and the place where the memorial rites were prepared.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
King Sejo’s tomb
Gwangneung holds Sejo, the 7th king of Joseon, and his queen Jeonghui of the Yun clan. One T-shaped shrine serves two mounds raised on separate hills — the first Joseon royal tomb laid out this way. Seen from in front of the shrine, the left hill (west) is Sejo’s and the right hill (east) the queen’s. Sejo spent his reign strengthening the crown: he brought in the jikjeon land law, reorganised the military and began the compilation of the Gyeongguk daejeon.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
Queen Jeonghui’s tomb
Gwangneung holds Sejo, the 7th king of Joseon, and his queen Jeonghui of the Yun clan. One T-shaped shrine serves two mounds raised on separate hills — the first Joseon royal tomb laid out this way. Seen from in front of the shrine, the left hill (west) is Sejo’s and the right hill (east) the queen’s. When her grandson Seongjong took the throne in 1469, Queen Jeonghui became the first woman in Joseon to rule as regent from behind the screen.
궁능유적본부 (royal.khs.go.kr, KOGL Type 1)
History and Culture Hall selected
Nearby
Sareung Royal Tomb
The tomb of Queen Jeongsun, Danjong’s consort. She died stripped of her rank and was buried with the rites due a grand prince’s wife; nearly one hundred and eighty years later she was restored, and the grave became a royal tomb.
Hongneung and Yureung Imperial Tombs
Imperial tombs of the Korean Empire, so the form departs from every other Joseon royal tomb: a sleeping hall in place of the T-shaped shrine, and stone qilin, elephants and camels lining the approach. The graves of the imperial family lie inside the same walls.
Taereung and Gangneung Royal Tombs
The Joseon Royal Tombs Exhibition Hall, which covers the tombs as a whole, stands inside this precinct. If several tombs are on the itinerary, starting here is what makes the rest legible.
Donggureung Royal Tombs
Nine royal tombs in one wood, so the changing form of the tomb — from the founding of Joseon almost to the Korean Empire — can be walked in a single visit. Taejo’s mound at Geonwolleung is covered in silver grass rather than turf.
Stories about this place
- Gyeonggi's Twelve Joseon Royal Tomb Precincts, Compared: The Five That Differ on Price or Opening Time
All twelve Joseon royal tomb precincts in Gyeonggi Province, compared on how many tombs each one gathers and on what can only be seen there. Unlike Seoul's five, admission and opening hours vary here, and five of the twelve differ from the other seven.
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