Amidst the urban jungle of Gangnam-gu is a park posing as the Seonjeongneung Royal Tomb. Called Samneung Park (삼능공원) by some, Seonjeongneung is less majestic a setting than a shrine like Jongmyo – but the park area more than makes up for it. With two royal tombs (Seolleung and Jeongneung) holding two kings (and one queen) of the Joseon dynasty – and plenty of wooded area – it made for a pleasant afternoon.
An interesting entrance (called 홍살문 on the map) to 정자각, a building on the Seolleung tomb’s side of the park. Though bordered by city, noises don’t tend to penetrate too far inside. If you can’t see the traffic, chances are you won’t be hearing much of it either.
A closer look – not a lot to see, and nothing to see inside.
Most of the denser woods were roped off in an effort to keep the natural appearance. Some weren’t, which made it nice to walk amongst the trees briefly.
The wide dirt trail is basically flat, but be careful on the few sets of stairs. The area is perfect for a picnic or an afternoon stroll, although there’s not a lot of history to see here.
One tomb, called Seolleung, holds King Seongjong (1457-1494, the 9th ruler of the Joseon Dynasty), and his third wife, Queen Jeonghyeon (1462-1530). This guy started ruling at 13 with the help of his father-in-law and grandmother, and reigned for 25 years before dying. Under his reign, the Grand Code for State Administration, the main law of the Joseon Dynasty was completed. The Seolleung tomb has a better view of the stone statues, though both are on a hill fenced off. This one at least has some stairs to the side of the hill, making it better to see the statues from closeup.
The dirt and wood are fine while dry, but be careful about your footing if it’s recently rained or if the ground is wet.
You’ll never guess who this guy is.
The other tomb, called Jeongneung, holds King Jungjong (1488-1544, the 11th ruler of the Joseon Dynasty). The king succeeded his older brother after a coup, and managed to confuse the people since he and his top confidant pursued different agendas and policies. Hey, some things never change… He died after 39 years as King, and was originally buried next to his second consort (Queen Janggyeong), but the third-in-line consort had him moved to a “more propitious” site, according to the brochure. The only problem was that the “the ground in front of the ceremonial pavilion was submerged every rainy season so boats were used between the pavilion and the tomb keeper’s house.” Nothing like an ex-consort to move your bones around…
If this building looks similar to the earlier pictures, it’s because the buildings have the same style to them. This one looks just a bit older – but with much of its original paint and structure intact.
The one newer building in the area – called 재실 (Jaesil), this place was where sacrificial rite would be prepared. The Emperor also used this area as a resting area, and was also the office for the caretaker of the masoleum. It’s not that old (repair work was finished November 2005), and was opened to the public in April 2006 – a good chance to compare recently restored buildings to some older, more original-looking buildings.
While there’s a decent amount to history to read and appreciate, it’s a better area to relax in or explore as a park. It was quite possible with the lunchtime crowd, as evidenced by the number of people in professional clothes during the early afternoon I went. Bring a blanket and a picnic basket, then enjoy!
