Jeongchungbok Stele

This stele stands in front of the hyanggyo, the local Confucian school, in Jangsu-eup, and honours the righteous conduct of Jeong Gyeong-son, who lived in the mid-Joseon period. Jeong Gyeong-son, whose pen name was Chungbok, was guarding the Munmyo, the Confucian shrine within the hyanggyo, during the Imjin War when a unit of Japanese invaders advanced into the Jangsu area and reached the shrine. He shut the gate fast, knelt down, and declared, "If you wish to enter, you must first cut off my head." Moved by his composed and dignified bearing, the Japanese soldiers withdrew of their own accord, leaving behind a note reading "Bon seong-yeok mulbeom" (本聖域勿犯, "This is a sacred place; do not violate it"). Because of this, the shrine escaped harm, and while the hyanggyo of most other regions were burned down, this one alone survived intact. Later generations, revering his righteous spirit, erected this stele on the site. Housed within a stele pavilion, the stele stands with its body set on a low, square base and topped with a roof stone; it was erected in 1846, the twelfth year of King Heonjong of Joseon.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Jangsu, Jeonbuk

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료