Yungneung and Geolleung Royal Tombs [UNESCO World Heritage]

Yungneung is the joint tomb of King Jangjo (1735-1762) and Queen Heongyeong (1735-1815). King Jangjo was the father of King Jeongjo, the 22nd ruler of the Joseon dynasty.



King Jangjo was the second son of King Yeongjo, the 21st ruler of the Joseon dynasty. He was installed as Crown Prince in 1736. As the Crown Prince, he administered the state affairs on behalf of his father and showed great capability in various fields. However, he died in 1762 after being locked in a wooden rice chest by the orders of his father, King Yeongjo.



The tomb of this ill-fated Crown Prince was originally located on Baebongsan Mountain in Yangju-gun, Gyeonggi-do. His son King Jeongjo moved the tomb to Hwasan Mountain in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do and changed the title of the tomb to Hyeollyungwon. Later, he posthumously gave his father the title King Jangjo and moved the tomb to its current place, and the title of the tomb was changed again to Yungneung.



Queen Heongyeong was designated as a crown princess in 1744. In 1795 when she turned 60 and long after her husband died, she wrote Hanjungnok, The Memoirs, which is mainly about the terrible fate of her husband.

The Memoirs have great historical significance, and these, along with the Tales of Queen Inhyeon, are highly valued as pieces of royal literature.



Yungneung is currently located in Annyeong-dong in Hwaseong. A stone called “Byeongpungseok” surrounds the tomb. On the stone, peony and lotus flowers are engraved. Like other royal tombs, there are two separate spaces – one raised and one lower space. In the raised space, there is the mound, “Honyuseok,” which is a rectangular shaped stone sitting in front of the mound, and "Mangjuseok," which is a pair of stones that sit on both sides of the mound. In the lower spaces, there are several stone statues. They include “Muninseok,” a statue of a civil officer, “Muinseok,” a statue of a military officer, and “Seokma,” a statue of a horse.





Geolleung is the joint tomb of King Jeongjo (1752-1800), the 22nd ruler of the Joseon dynasty, and Queen Hyoui (1753-1821).



King Jeongjo’s last wish was to be buried near his father’s tomb in Yungneung. King Jeongjo was the second son of King Jangjo and Queen Heongyeong, but in 1759, when he was 8 years old, he was designated as the heir to the throne. During his 24 year-reign, King Jeongjo influenced state affairs by implementing the “Tangpyeongchaek (a policy to balance the power of political factions),” and he also had great accomplishments in the area of academic research by creating the “Gyujanggak (a national royal library).”



Queen Hyoui was a daughter of Kim Si Muk and was installed as a partner of the heir to the throne at the age of 10. In 1776, when King Jeongjo ascended the throne, she also became Queen. She is known to have led a frugal life. In 1821, she died without an heir at the age of 69 in Jagyeongjeon, Changgyeonggung Palace.


Geolleung looks very similar to Yungneung, but unlike Yungneung, it does not have a “Byeongpungseok,” which is a wide and rectangular stone that surrounds the mound and protects it. Instead, it is surrounded by “Nanganseok,” stone handrails. On every handrail, lotus flowers are engraved. King Jeongjo’s tomb is simpler and less decorated than his father’s, which reflects King Jeongjo’s respect and love for his father. Both Geolleung and Yungneung are designated as Historic Site No. 206.