Uireung Tomb

Uireung Tomb is one of the 40 royal tombs of Korea that were added to UNESCO in 2009. The tomb is of King Gyeongjong, the 20th monarch of the Joseon Dynasty and his second wife, Queen Seonui. King Gyeongjon was born in 1688 and died in 1724. Queen Seonui was born in 1705 and passed away in 1730. King Gyeongjong was the child of the very unpopular Lady Jang.

King Gyeongjong ascended the throne in 1720 at the age of 33. He was so weak that he did not produce an heir. After only two months on the throne he appointed his half brother, Prince Yeoning (later King Yeongjo) as heir to handle state affairs. It is said that his mother, Lady Jang is to blame for his diseases. When Lady Jang was sentenced to death by poison, she begged to see her son the crown prince (Later King Gyeongjong). When she met him she dashed towards him and inflicted an injury to his lower abdomen.

Due to King Gyeongjong’s fragile health, he had no energy or time to do anything significant in the four years of his reign. The tomb at Uireung is quite unique as the arrangement of the tombs are different than others. Usually the tomb of the King and Queen are placed side by side however at Uireung they were arranged front to back. The area around Uireung is quite large and would be a great place to have a picnic.

Opening Hours / Admission:

March to October: 9am ~ 6:30pm
November to February: 9am ~ 5:30pm
Tickets stop going on sale 1 hour before closing time.
Closed on Mondays.

Admission:

1,000 won for adults (19 to 64)
500 won for youth (7 to 18)

How to get to Uireung Royal Tomb:

Take line 1 to Sinimun Station and leave exit 1. Walk for 15 minutes. Follow the map below.
Take line 6 to Dolgoji Station and leave exit 7 and walk for 15 minutes. Follow the map below.
Alternatively at Dolgoji station go out exit 7 and take bus 120, 147, 261 or 1222. Get off at Uireung Entrance (의릉입구) about 5 minutes.

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