Sosuseowon Confucian Academy [UNESCO World Heritage]

Sosuseowon Confucian Academy is situated at the foothills of Sobaeksan Mountain. Sosuseowon was the first to receive a royal charter as a private Confucian academy along with financial support and acknowledgement by the king. This academy was originally founded under the name Baegundongseowon in 1542 by a Confucian scholar Ju Se-bung, who was also the magistrate of Punggi County at the time. Baegundongseowon first started as an academic institution that enshrined a memorial tablet of An Hyang, a Confucian scholar whom Ju Se-bung had deep respect for. After Ju Se-bung left the county, Toegye Yi Hwang, a renowned Confician scholar, became his successor and made an official request to the king to be granted a royal charter. The request was well received, and the king renamed the institution to its current name, Sosuseowon.