Sachungseowon Confucian Academy

Sachungseowon, meaning 'a Confucian academy enshrining four loyal subjects,' was established in 1725 (the first year of King Yeongjo's reign) in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province (now Noryangjin-dong, Dongjak-gu) with state support, promoted by Noron faction officials and Confucian scholars to enshrine the four great Noron loyalists: Kim Chang-jip, Lee Yi-myeong, Lee Geon-myeong, and Jo Tae-chae. These four ministers incurred the wrath of the Soron faction over the appointment of the crown prince and regency during King Gyeongjong's reign, and were executed in 1722 (the second year of King Gyeongjong's reign) for their alleged involvement in the Noron treason case (the Sinim Incident). After the crown prince ascended the throne as King Yeongjo and the Noron regime was established, they were exonerated and the academy was built.

Upon its establishment, the academy received a royal charter, but in 1727, with the Jeongmi Hwan'guk political change, the Soron faction came to power, reversed the Sinim Incident, and re-designated the four ministers as criminals, leading to the academy's abolition. Later, in 1740, with the Gyeongsin Disposition, the four ministers were again declared loyal subjects, but the academy was not rebuilt until 1756, when the Soron faction completely fell, and it was restored and named Sachungseowon. Thus, Sachungseowon was strongly partisan, experiencing repeated abolition and restoration depending on the disputes between the Noron and Soron factions. However, since all subsequent kings after Yeongjo were his descendants, the academy received special favors as the shrine of the four ministers who were loyal to Yeongjo. Consequently, it survived the general abolition of Confucian academies under the Daewongun. In the spring of 1927, the site was incorporated into railway land, so the academy was relocated to Bogwang-dong, Hanji-myeon, Goyang-gun (now Bogwang-dong, Seoul), but was destroyed during the Korean War. In 1968, it was moved to its current location, and ancestral rites are held every spring and autumn.