Sosuseowon

osuseowon in Yeongju, the first-ever Seowon academy built in Korea

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Planning the visit

Sosuseowon is stop 6 of 9 on the Korean Confucian Academy Route.

The stamp is not at the site itself but at the Tourist information center at Sosuseowon, so check the opening hours of that building rather than the site.

Admission is charged: Adults KRW 3,000 / Teenagers KRW 2,000 / Children KRW 1,000.

The two closest stamp points are Buseoksa Temple, 12 km away, and Bongjeongsa Temple at 31 km. All three fit into one day.

Details

Address: 2740, Sobaek-ro, Sunheung-myeon, Yeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
Stamp zone: Tourist information center at Sosuseowon
Admission: Adults KRW 3,000 / Teenagers KRW 2,000 / Children KRW 1,000
Phone: 054-639-5852
Coordinates: 36.92537, 128.58021

What the campaign says about it

Sosuseowon is the first Seowon academy in Korea. It was first established when Joo Se-bung, who was appointed as governor of Punggi, built the Baegundongseowon in 1543 CE, which included a shrine dedicated to An Hyang. An Hyang, a scholar and scholar during the late Goryeo Dynasty period, was the first to bring Neo-Confucianism into the Korean Peninsula. Seowon, a private educational institution established to undertake academic research and commemorate the deeds of past scholars, played a major role in disseminating Neo-Confucianism across Korea. Notable buildings include Ganghakdang Lecture Hall (treasure) at Sosuseowon in Yeongju, which served as a lecture hall, and Munseonggong Shrine, which was built on the grounds of Sosuseowon in Yeongju. Inside Sosu Museum is a portrait of An Hyang (national treasure). Before the Seowon was built, there was a temple called Suksusa in its place, which is why you will find the Flagpole Supports previously used at Suksusa Temple inside Sosuseowon. The Flagpoles are the two pillars that were used to support the Danggan (long poles used to hold up Buddhist paintings). Ganghakdang Lecture Hall at Sosuseowon in Yeongju was built to serve one aspect of a Seowon’s purpose - to teach. It sits on an elevated platform with cornerstones fashioned out of natural stone blocks. On the northern end of the Daecheong inside Ganghakdang is a large signboard that reads, “Sosuseowon” written by King Myeongjong himself. Munseonggong Shrine is a shrine built within the grounds of Sosuseowon in Yeongju used to perform ancestral rites dedicated to An Hyang (pen name: Hoeheon), an administrator from the mid-Goryeo Dynasty period. Every year, Sosuseowon holds a memorial service on the Chojeongil day of March and September. There is also documentation titled “Holgimunseo” detailing the rituals and protocols used during this memorial service written by Joo Se-bung. Portrait of An Hyang - This is a portrait of An Hyang (1243~1306 CE), an administrator and scholar from the middle Goryeo Dynasty period. In 1260 CE (1st year of King Wonjong), An Hyang passed the national exam for public officials and went on to serve in several different positions. He is perhaps best known as the first Neo-Confucian scholar of Goryeo - he introduced Neo-Confucianism to Goryeo upon traveling to the Yuan Dynasty on multiple occasions. Meanwhile, the Flagpole Supports of the Suksusaji Temple Site in Yeongju still stand intact near the entrance of the Temple. Whenever the Temple would host an event, it would hang a flag on the flagpole. The long pole used to hold up flags was called a Danggan, and the two stone flagpole supports propping the flagpole up from either side were called the “Dangganjiju.” These Flagpole Supports are easy to find inside the pine tree forest near Sosuseowon’s front gate.

Quoted from the Visit Korean Heritage Campaign.

Getting there

Get off at the KTX Yeongju station → Take bus no. 5 at the Yeongju station bus stop → Get off at Gyeongbuk Pharmacy bus stop, then transfer to bus no. 153, 253, or 353 → Get off at Sosuseowon bus stop

Photographs

Photographs supplied by the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation.