Gwangneung Royal Tomb

Sejo, who took the throne in 1455, is buried here with Queen Jeonghui, and the arrangement is unusual - rather than a single joint mound the two lie on separate hills facing each other across a valley, sharing one ritual hall between them. Sejo is said to have ordered a simple burial without a stone chamber, and the tomb is plainer than most. The consequence that matters most is ecological: everything within a wide radius was designated tomb land and left alone from 1468 onward, no cutting, no farming, no building, and five and a half centuries of that has produced Gwangneung Forest - the best-preserved temperate broadleaf woodland in this part of Korea, now a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve with several hundred-year-old trees, a research arboretum and a small population of the endangered fairy pitta and other birds. The arboretum next to the tomb caps daily visitors and requires booking ahead, which catches people out.

Highlights

• The paired mounds - Sejo and the queen on facing hills.
• The shared ritual hall - one hall serving both tombs.
• The old forest - five centuries of untouched woodland.
• The arboretum - the research collection, by booking only.

When to go

April to June and October to November. Book the arboretum well ahead - daily numbers are capped and it closes on Sundays and Mondays. The tomb itself needs no booking.

Good to know

Arboretum entry without a reservation is refused. The tomb is plain by royal standards. Public transport involves two buses; a car is easier.

Nearby

The Gwangneung forest and its arboretum adjoin the tomb; Pocheon and Sanjeong lake are north.

Key facts