Jangneung Royal Tomb, Gimpo

Jangneung holds a man who never reigned. Prince Jeongwon was the fifth son of King Seonjo; he died in 1619. Four years later his own son seized the throne in a coup and became King Injo, and in 1632 Injo had his father posthumously declared King Wonjong, moved his grave here from Yangju, and rebuilt it as a royal tomb. A king whose father had been king was harder to call a usurper. The tomb was built accordingly: two mounds for Wonjong and his wife, plain, without screen stones, in the post-Sejo style, and with a lower set of figures than a reigning king would have received. It is a quiet place on a low hill near the Han estuary. It was in the news in 2021, when apartment towers rose in the protected view corridor between the tomb and the hills behind it without heritage clearance. The dispute over whether they should be demolished went to the courts, and the towers stand.

Original Text

Where it is

Region

Gimpo, Gyeonggi

Designation

Historic Site · 사적