Chunghyodang House, the House Built in Memory of Ryu Seong-ryong

The first thing anyone visiting Chunghyodang House will notice is the enormous tree that stands before the house. It is a Korean fir planted by Great Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in 1999 to celebrate her visit to Hahoe Village. The Korean fir is a native Korean evergreen tree that is known throughout the world for its qualities.

After the Queen's visit, this house and even the road before it enjoyed a great amount of publicity. The road that the Queen walked on near the house is now affectionately called the "Queen's Road."

Actually, this house was built in memory of Ryu Seong-ryong, the great figure of the Joseon Dynasty. When he resigned after thirty years of faithful service, he came back home to Hahoe Village. The house was originally a small and humble abode while he was around, and was only expanded at a later date by his grandsons and students to commemorate his lifetime achievements. The name of this house, Chunghyodang House, literally means “a house of loyalty and filial piety”, and was thus named so as to commemorate Ryu Seong-ryong's devoted life.


The Life of Ryu Seong-ryong

Ryu Seong-ryong passed the civil service examination at the age of twenty-five. He served in many different official posts until he became the Chief State Councilor, in charge of all the policies that concerned the Joseon Dynasty.

When Japan invaded Joseon in 1592, he was appointed to direct the army of three provinces under the king's command. He distinguished himself in the national crisis by appointing great commanders such as Admiral Yi Sun-sin who led victories against Japanese navy during the war. Also, he made a significant contribution in many battles. And moreover, he negotiated with the Chinese army to wipe out any remaining Japanese troops left behind during their retreat.

He had returned home by the time the war was almost over. Despite the king's repeated requests, he refused to go back to serve the king's court. He personally felt responsible when the king had to leave the palace to avoid the vortex of war and when the people of the Joseon Dynasty were suffering from the war.

Ryu Seong-ryong was a man who was truly devoted to his people and his country in challenging times. He is still remembered as a great person because of his loyalty to the king and benevolence for people, and was the embodiment of Confucian virtues.