Seoul City Selects Seoul Gyeonggyojang, Bonghwanggak, Seoul Taereung, and Gangneung... Created as Card News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] On the 15th, Seoul City announced that it has selected Seoul Gyeonggyojang, Bonghwanggak, and Seoul Taereung and Gangneung as the cultural heritage of the month related to June. Seoul City selects the ‘Seoul Cultural Heritage of the Month’ on the 15th of every month, featuring stories related to that month, to allow people to enjoy Seoul’s history and cultural heritage, and provides them in an easy-to-understand card news format.

Seoul Gyeonggyojang

Seoul Gyeonggyojang, Historic Site No. 465, is the place where Baekbeom Kim Gu passed away on June 26, 1949. Seoul Gyeonggyojang was the office and residence used by Baekbeom Kim Gu, the president of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, after he returned from China in 1945. The building, constructed in 1938, was originally named Jukcheomjang (竹添莊), but it is said that the name was changed to Gyeonggyojang after the nearby stream when it was used as Kim Gu’s residence.

Bonghwanggak, Seoul City Tangible Cultural Property No. 2, was established on June 19, 1912. It was a place where Son Byeong-hui, a leader of the Cheondogyo religion, trained leaders to reclaim national sovereignty lost to Japanese colonial rule, and it is also called 'Uichang Monastery.' The name Bonghwanggak comes from the word ‘Bonghwang’ (Phoenix) found in a poem left by Cheondogyo founder Choi Je-woo. The plan for the March 1st Movement in 1919 was also made here, and the leaders who passed through this place became the main figures of the movement. Artifacts from that time remain in Bonghwanggak and its annex buildings, and about 50 meters in front of this place is the tomb of Son Byeong-hui.

Seoul Taereung and Gangneung

Seoul Taereung and Gangneung, Historic Site No. 201, were registered as UNESCO World Heritage Sites on June 30, 2009. Taereung is the tomb of Queen Munjeong Yoon (1501?1565), the third queen of the 11th Joseon King Jungjong (reigned 1506?1544). Gangneung is the tomb of the 13th Joseon King Myeongjong (reigned 1545?1567) and his wife Queen Insun Sim (1532?1575). After her death, Queen Munjeong was supposed to be buried in Jeongneung, where King Jungjong is buried, but due to flooding during the rainy season, she was buried here instead. The tomb is surrounded by a 12-sided folding screen stone engraved with the twelve zodiac animals and cloud patterns, and in front of the tomb are the ritual stones such as the sangseok and mangjuseok, made according to the 'Gukjo Oryeui' (National Five Rites).

Kwon Soon-ki, head of the Seoul City Historical Cultural Heritage Division, said, “In this season when the greenery is growing thick, and despite the restrictions on outdoor activities due to the spread of COVID-19, we hope that citizens can meet Seoul’s cultural heritage through the ‘Cultural Heritage of the Month Card News’ and feel pride in ‘Seoul, the 2,000-year-old historic city’ with its long history.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.