Where is King Sukjong’s Tomb and the tomb of Jang Hee Bin?

dramasrok

14 years ago

(updated 2021) Thanks to his controversial love life, King Sukjong appears in lots of Korean historical dramas! But although his most famous relationship was with his concubine Jang Hee Bin, they are not buried together at King Sukjong’s tomb. In this post find out about the different types of Royal Tomb, where King Sukjong’s tomb is, who he is buried with, and why young women in particular want to go to Jang Hee Bin’s grave…

Who was King Sukjong?

King Sukjong (r.1674-1720) was one of the few kings who came to the throne with no struggles or scandals, or objections. He was the king’s oldest son. And his mother was the queen, not a concubine, making him in every way the legitimate heir. So that means there can’t be any dramas made about his turbulent rise to the throne! But his love life is another matter…

During his reign, King Sukjong had two very controversial relationships with concubines. His famous concubine Jang Hee Bin is THE femme fatale of the Joseon period and she appears in lots of dramas too. Her son became King Gyeongjong, Yi Yun (r.1720-1724) but he only ruled for a short time. King Sukjong also made the controversial decision to choose a concubine from the servant class (rather than the upper classes). She was promoted to Suk Bin when she had a son. And he went on to become the longest reigning monarch of the Joseon period King Yeongjo. (r. 1724-1776). This supposed love triangle is depicted in the drama Dong Yi (MBC 2010).

The Confucian Kingship of Korea: Yongjo and the politics of Sagacity

Concubine ranking system

Dong Yi recaps

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JANG HEE BIN’S STORY

By all accounts, Jang Hee Bin was VERY ambitious and her wish was to become Queen – not a mere concubine. First she was promoted to the top level concubine (Bin) when she gave birth to the king’s son. Now the only person standing in her way was the actual queen at the time – Queen Inhyeon. So when the incumbent Queen Inhyeon was exiled for political reasons, Jang Hee Bin’s dream came true!

But not for long. King Sukjong later regretted his treatment of the queen. He pardoned her and she returned to the palace. Jang Hee Bin was demoted back to concubine. Which couldn’t have been easy to take. Things then took a sinister turn when Queen Inhyeon mysteriously died. Eventually, Jang Hee Bin was accused of plotting to kill her. And she was sentenced to death by drinking the deadly bowl of poison.

Did Dong Yi and King Sukjong really have a romance?

Is Jang Hee Bin pure evil or does she act out of love?

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Where is KING SUKJONG’S tomb?

King Sukjong’s tomb is at Seo-o-rung 서오릉 (meaning 5 western tombs). This is a UNESCO World Heritage site just outside of Seoul in Gyeonggi-do. Several of the Joseon kings and queens and their relations are buried here. And the burial sites are spread out over a vast area of land joined by paths and pine trees. So if you like walking, visiting King Sukjong’s tomb is a great day out.

Despite their famous love, King Sukjong and Jang Hee Bin are not buried together. And Suk Bin is buried in another place entirely. That’s because Kings were usually buried with their queens. And so King Sukjong is buried with Queen Inhyeon (his second queen, the one he exiled and then pardoned).

MYEONG-NYEUNG (明陵)

What were the different types of Royal tomb in the Joseon period?

There are three different types of royal tombs. And they depend on the status of those buried there.

MYO tombs are the lowest level of royal tombs. Minor royals including concubines were buried in this style of tomb. So Jang Hee Bin’s tomb is a MYO tomb. (we’ll have a look at that later) Dethroned kings like Yeonsangun also had MYO tombs. See Yeonsangun’s humble tomb here He’s buried with several other members of the Royal Family including his wife and daughter. WON tombs are grander tombs for crown princes and princesses and royal parents. And NEUNG tombs are the top class tombs reserved for kings and queens. King Sejong’s tomb site is another NEUNG TOMB.

Who guards KING SUKJONG’S TOMB?

The tombs of King Sukjong and his second and third queens are just outside the Seooreung complex. They are not fenced off to the public, so visitors can go up on the hill and look more closely at the mounds and animals and figures protecting them.

If you want to work out if a tomb is for a king, look at the stone figures guarding the grave. Are there any warriors there? All graves have SCHOLARS guarding them. But only kings and queens have WARRIORS too, as well as stone animals such as sheep, tigers, and horses.

KING SUKJONG’S TOMB LAYOUT

Royal tombs follow Confucian rules. For a Neung (top class) tomb there must be a red gate at the entrance and a straight path leading up to the building where memorial rites are carried out.

Then the actual burial mounds are on elevated land with pine trees behind them. And the pathway leading up to the burial mounds has 2 different levels: the highest level is only for the spirit of the departed king. So nobody should be walking on that!

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Traditionally kings and queens were buried together while concubines had smaller tombs separately. King Sukjong’s tomb is next to Queen Inhyeon, his second wife, the queen portrayed in Dong Yi. His third wife, Queen Inwon (1687-1757) outlived him but is buried on a nearby hill on her own to the left. (see below) His first wife, Queen Ingyeong who died at the age of 19 is buried in a completely separate area within the Seooreung complex.

JANG HEE BIN’S ENERGY

So as I mentioned, the MYO tombs of the concubines are more simple than the tombs of the kings and queens. There’s no gate and no path leading up to the burial mounds. And there’s no buildings for preparing memorial rites. And no warriors or animals guarding the tomb.

But Jang Hee Bin is infamous in history for her aggressive ambition. And there is an interesting point about her tomb. In the picture of her tomb below you might just be able to make out a rock under the pine trees behind the burial mound. The shocking point here is that a pine tree has managed to break through the rock and grow! This apparently suggests that even in death Jang Hee Bin’s energy (ki) is still very strong!

So now there is a saying that if a young single woman is looking for love, she should go to Jang Hee Bin’s tomb and ask her for help. If she does this, her wish will come true. (I don’t know if this really works but I suppose it’s worth a try…💕 )

FUN FACT about royal tombs:

Most of the Royal Tombs are outside Seoul, but there are some Joseon tombs in Gangnam, Seoul. Gangnam is now the most modern and expensive part of Seoul. But during the Joseon dynasty it was just empty land! So royal tombs were located here.