Yuksanggung Shrine, Seoul

A king's mother was honoured in Jongmyo, the royal ancestral shrine — if she had been a queen. Seven kings and heirs of Joseon were born to concubines, and their mothers had no place there. This is where their sons put them instead. The first shrine, Yuksanggung, was built in 1725 by King Yeongjo for his mother, Lady Choe. She had entered the palace as a water-carrier, the lowest rank of servant, and became a favourite of King Sukjong. Over the next two centuries six more shrines were moved here to join it, the last in 1929, and the compound became known as Chilgung, the Seven Shrines. Among the women honoured are Lady Jang, the concubine executed by poison in 1701 whose rise and fall is still retold in television dramas, and Lady Yi, mother of the crown prince who died in the rice chest. The shrines stand in a row behind Gyeongbokgung, beside what was until 2022 the presidential residence. For decades that made them almost impossible to visit; they are open now, and quiet.

Original Text

Where it is

Region

Jongno-gu, Seoul

Designation

Historic Site · 사적