Heolleung and Illeung Royal Tombs, Seoul

Heolleung is the tomb of Taejong, the dynasty's third king, and his queen. He was the founder's fifth son, and the one who did the fighting: he killed the chief minister who had written the new state's laws, then his own half-brothers, and took the throne in 1400. Once he had it he spent eighteen years building the institutions his son Sejong would use, then abdicated to make sure the succession went smoothly. It did. The tomb is the grandest of the early style. Two mounds sit side by side, each ringed by carved screen stones and rails, and the terrace below carries a double set of stone officials, warriors and horses — eight of each — which is more sculpture than any other Joseon tomb was allowed. Illeung, over the ridge, is the tomb of Sunjo, the twenty-third king, moved here in 1856. He came to the throne at ten and reigned for thirty-four years while his in-laws ran the country, and the contrast between the two tombs — one for a king who seized power, one for a king who never held it — is the point of walking between them.

Original Text

Where it is

Region

Seocho-gu, Seoul

Designation

Historic Site · 사적