Tomb for a Lonely Queen

Hongneung is a grave of a queen who was destined to wait for her husband who would never come back to her. The heroine of this sad story is Queen Jeongseong, the first wife of King Yeongjo who ruled the dynasty during the mid-18th century.

She married him when she was just thirteen years old. She shared many great moments in his life, when he was invested as the crown prince, and then enthroned. Later, the king wrote about the 43 years he spent with his first wife, and appreciated her filial piety.

Actually, the king wished to be buried next to his devoted first wife at his death, and had a plot for his own grave to the right of the queen’s grave. That is why the queen’s burial mound appears a little lopsided in the tomb’s burial section.

However, his wish was never realized. King Jeongjo, his grandson and successor to the throne, wanted a more auspicious site for the grandfather and the dynasty. Also, the new king had to think about his grandfather’s second wife who was alive at that time. In the end, the deceased king was buried in Wolleung, sharing it with his second wife.