Jeongneung Tomb

On Wednesday, May 15th I was let out of school early for the long weekend (thank you Buddha!). As most of my friends needed to work, I ventured out alone to Jeongneung (정릉) which is a tomb close to my workplace. Along with other Joseon dynasty tombs, it is  a UNECO world heritage site. Score.

 After following a bunch of signs up and down hills, I finally found the entrance to Jeongneung. I paid a small entrance fee (1,000 won), grabbed a map, and walked around. As it was a Wednesday afternoon, there were few people in the park: mostly ajjumas and ajjeoshis. A quick walk brought me to the tomb. Well, within sight of the tomb.

As you can see, the tomb is at top of the hill. I saw no way to get up to the tomb, so I imagine it isn't possible to get a close look. The tomb houses Queen Consort Sindeok, who was the second wife of King Taejo (the founder of the Joseon dynasty). Her place in history is a bit interesting, so to learn more, check out the Korean Cultural Heritage website for details.

I imagine the surrounding vicinity rather than the tomb itself gives reason for the locals to visit. Smack dab in a very apartment-heavy neighborhood is a very green and walkable area. One walking course goes around Jeongneung's land, and takes about thirty minutes.  If it was a little closer to my school, I would visit often to go for jogs. Peaceful, if a bit hilly, Jeongneung can be seen in about an hour.

Jeongneung was a bit difficult to find... here are the directions from Visit Korea:

Directions

In front of exit 6 of Sungshin Women's University station (Donam station / Seoul Subway Line 4), take city bus No. 1012, 1014, or 1212 and get off at Arirang Market. Walk 5-10 min. Operating Hours 6:00-18:30 (Mar-Oct) / 6:00-17:30 (Nov-Feb) Yeonsangunmyo 09:00~18:00