Yongyeonseowon Confucian Academy

Pocheon Yongyeonseowon is a Confucian academy that enshrines the spirit tablets of two Joseon-period scholars, Yi Deok-hyeong (1561-1613) and Jo Gyeong (1586-1669), in tribute to their learning and virtuous conduct. In 1692 it was named Yongyeon (Dragon Pond) after a nearby pond and received a royal plaque, or sa-aek, the honour by which the king of Joseon personally bestowed a name inscribed on a plaque upon a shrine or academy. Yi Deok-hyeong travelled to Ming China to request reinforcements during the Imjin War, the Japanese invasions of Korea fought in two campaigns from 1592 to 1598, and held numerous key government posts. Jo Gyeong, for his part, argued for fighting the Qing to the end during the Byeongja Horan, the war between Joseon and Qing China in 1636-1637, and was later chosen as one of the Cheongbaengni, officials honoured for their incorruptibility. Because Yi Deok-hyeong's service during the Imjin War was recognised, Yongyeonseowon escaped destruction even during Emperor Gojong's abolition of Confucian academies, when in 1871 all but forty-seven academies, including shrines, were removed nationwide. During the Korean War, however, all its buildings except the shrine were burned down. The lecture hall, the inner and outer three-bay gates, and the hongsalmun, a red-painted gate marking a sacred site, were restored in 1986, bringing the academy to its present form.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Pocheon, Gyeonggi

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산