Namyangju Gwangneung (Tomb of King Sejo and Queen Jeonghui) [UNESCO World Heritage]

Gwangneung is the tomb of King Sejo (r. 1455–1468), the 7th monarch of Joseon, and Queen Jeonghui (1418–1483). It is the first royal tomb of the Joseon dynasty built in the dongwonigangneung (同原異岡陵) style, where two burial mounds are placed on different hills within the same tomb precinct, sharing a single pavilion (jeongjagak). When viewed from the front of the pavilion, the left hill (west) holds King Sejo's tomb, and the right hill (east) holds Queen Jeonghui's tomb. The tomb was established at its current site in 1468 upon King Sejo's death. Originally, this site was the ancestral burial ground of the Dongnae Jeong clan, but it was relocated elsewhere when Gwangneung was built. King Sejo left a will stating, "After I die, let my body decay quickly; do not use a stone chamber or stone outer coffin, and do not erect a stone screen (byeongpungseok)." Following this will, the inner chamber was made with a lime mixture (hoegyeok) instead of a stone chamber, reducing the cost and labor for the royal tomb construction. This method was applied to all subsequent royal tombs built after Gwangneung. Additionally, as the stone screen was omitted, the twelve zodiac animal figures that would have been carved on it were instead carved on the stone railings. Later, in 1483 (the 14th year of King Seongjong's reign), when Queen Jeonghui passed away, her tomb was built on the eastern hill of Gwangneung. Initially, the tomb was to be named Donggwangneung (東光陵), but since it was within the same precinct as Gwangneung, it was combined under the name Gwangneung, and the pavilion was moved between the two tombs. The incense path (hyangno) and royal path (eoro) leading from the red gate (hongsalmun) to the pavilion were built during the Joseon period but have since been lost. At the entrance, a dismounting stele (hamabi) remains, the only one of its kind among Joseon royal tombs.

Address: 354 Gwangneung Sumogwon-ro, Jinjeop-eup, Namyangju-si, Gyeonggi-do