Jeongneung, Royal burial plot in Jeongneung-dong, South Korea.
Jeongneung is the tomb of Queen Sindeok, second wife of King Taejo, in Jeongneung-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. The burial mound is fronted by a stone lantern from Taejo's time, while the other stone figures and altar were made when the tomb was restored in 1669. The site has fewer stone figures than other Joseon royal tombs.
Queen Sindeok died in 1396 and was first buried inside Hanyang, west of Gyeongbokgung, where a 170-bay memorial temple, Heungcheonsa, was completed in 1397. After Taejo's death, Taejong had the tomb moved outside the city wall to its present hill in 1409, demolished its pavilion for timber and reused its stone screen on Gwangtonggyo bridge. Restored in 1669 after Song Si-yeol's petition, it was re-titled in 1899.
The site shows reverence for the queen through carefully placed stone statues and a sacred path that guides visitors through the grounds. People still gather here for memorial ceremonies, reflecting her continued importance in Korean history.
Jeongneung lies in Jeongneung-dong, Seongbuk-gu, on a slope of the surrounding hills. The tomb complex is entered through a gate and arranged along a central axis, with the burial mound at the highest point. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes for the uneven stone paths and allow time to walk the grounds.
The tomb's stone lantern in front of the burial mound is the only element surviving from King Taejo's reign; all other stone figures date from the 1669 restoration under King Hyeonjong. The tomb was stripped so thoroughly in 1409 that its stone screen was reused to repair the flood-damaged Gwangtonggyo bridge.
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