Kenneth E. Harker
2008 Korea - Geolleung

We visited Geolleung as part of our excursion day activities during the 2008 World Amateur Radio Direction Finding Championships held in Hwaseong, Korea. Geolleung is the royal tomb of King Jeongjo (b. 1752) who ruled Korea from 1776 until his death in 1800, and his wife, Queen Hyoui (d. 1821). King Jeongjo established the Gyujanggak Royal Library, the oldest library in Korea. King Jeongjo also built Hwaseong Fortress in nearby Suwon, which was dedicated to his father, Prince Sado (1735-1762). Posthumously granted the title of King Jangjo, Prince Sado is buried with his wife, Hyeongyeong (1735-1815), in a nearby royal tomb called Yungneung. We only had time to visit Geolleung.

These photos are copyright © 2008 Kenneth E. Harker. All rights reserved.

	The shrine to King Jeongjo at Geolleung was a T-shaped building.
	The shrine building had a large stone patio in front of it.
	The roof extending over the stone patio was not a typical architectural feature for Joseon Dynasty architecture, which tended to favor rectangular houses.
	Like most formal buildings of the Joseon Dynasty, the underside of the roof is painted in dancheong, patterns of blue-green and cinnabar.
	More of the dancheong details in the roof of the shrine to King Jeongjo.
	This small building held two steles honoring the deceased.
	There were two steles, each of which had their own little alcove within the small building.
	I believe that this stele is honoring King Jeongjo. The text is written in very old style Chinese characters.
	This stele is honoring Queen Hyoui.
	The Geolleung tomb was a massive earthen mound. The actual burial mound is surrounded by a stone rail and on three sides by a stone fence.
	The burial mound at Geolleung.
	The burial mound was ringed by a short stone wall with a stone railing on top of it.
	Statues of court officials and soldiers stand guard over the tomb.
	A statue of a guard dog.
	A stone lotus blossom in the railing around the burial tomb.
	Some of the relief details in the stonework around the base of the burial mound.
	Most of the relief carvings in the stonework were of flowers.
	A stone sculpture of a soldier. His nose is missing.
	A scultpture of a miniature horse. The guard dogs faced away from the burial mound, but the horses faced toward it.
	The shrine building, as seen from the tomb.