Jeong reung 정릉

Jeongneung Royal Tomb (정릉) is the tomb of Queen Consort Sindeok, the second wife of King Taejo (1392-1398), founder of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). It's another Queen only tomb just like 'Taereung' tomb.
Jeongneung has an especially interesting history. This tomb was not maintained compared to other royal tombs because of a power struggle. The queen consort had many children which naturally induced a battle for the throne. Usually the son of the first wife is the successor of the throne, but she was determined to have one of her sons ascend the throne instead. However, the successor King Taejong killed all her sons and developed an extreme abhorrence towards the queen consort. When she died, King Taejong ordered not to maintain and preserve her tomb. Therefore, the tomb is rather unkempt and the layout and composition is different from other royal tombs.
Upon entering the red gate, the sacrificial building can be seen in front of the tomb along with a pavilion and tombstone. Stone sculptures of sheep and tigers watch over the tomb. A major difference between this tomb with other royal tombs is exhibited in the path from the red gate to the sacrificial building. Usually the path is a straight line, but at Jeongneung Royal Tomb, it is crooked and bent. Furthermore, the color of the sacrificial building is dull and faded.

839-47 Jeongneung 3(sam)-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, South Korea

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