Tomb of King Jinheung, Gyeongju

This is the tomb of King Jinheung (r. 540–576), the 24th king of Silla. A grandson of King Jijeung, Jinheung took the Hangang River basin from Goguryeo, which had occupied it, and laid the foundation for the unification of the Three Kingdoms. In 562 he conquered Daegaya and secured the Nakdonggang River basin, and he advanced as far as the Hamheung Plain, giving Silla the greatest territory in its history; he erected boundary steles at the sites he occupied. He had Geochilbu compile the Guksa (National History) and built Hwangnyongsa Temple, the largest temple in Silla. He also founded the Hwarangdo, a corps of elite youths that became a core force in the unification of the Three Kingdoms. The tomb is a round earthen mound 5.8 m high and 20 m in diameter. Natural stones were used to form kerbstones around it, though only a few now remain. The interior is presumed to be a stone chamber tomb with a horizontal entrance passage. For the tomb of the king who left the greatest achievements among Silla's monarchs, it is relatively small in scale, and since records state that it should lie in the same place as King Beopheung's tomb, some hold that it is the second tomb from the top among the tombs of Seoak-dong.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Historic Site · 사적