Samcheok King Gongyang Royal Tomb

This is a site traditionally said to be the tomb of King Gongyang (r. 1389–1392), the last monarch of the Goryeo dynasty. King Gongyang was deposed in 1392 when Yi Seong-gye ascended the throne, and in 1394, the third year of King Taejo, he was sent to Samcheok together with the princes Seok and U, where he was strangled to death. Tombs said to be King Gongyang's survive in two places, Samcheok in Gangwon State and Goyang in Gyeonggi Province, but because documentary records are scarce it cannot be said for certain which is the genuine royal tomb. This is because the tomb at Goyang was the one recognised by the Joseon dynasty, while the tomb at Samcheok has been handed down among the common people, yet both are recorded in documents from the Joseon period. Records concerning the Samcheok royal tomb include the Cheokjuji, written in 1662, the third year of King Hyeonjong, by Heo Mok, magistrate of Samcheok, and the Cheokju Seonsaengan, written in 1855, the sixth year of King Cheoljong, by Kim Gu-hyeok. A custom also survives of holding memorial rites before the tomb every three years. Place names associated with King Gongyang survive in the area: Gungchon, "palace village", so called because it was where the king was exiled; Salhaejae, "murder ridge", so called because he was killed on Godolsan, a hill behind the village; Gungteo, "palace site", said to be where Prince Seok lived; and Maribang, a shed where horses were tethered. The Gongyang royal tomb at Samcheok consists of four burial mounds in all: the southernmost is said to be King Gongyang's own tomb, two are said to belong to the two princes, and the remaining one is said to be the grave of a court lady or of a horse.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Samcheok, Gangwon

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물