Jeongneung in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, is the royal tomb of Queen Sindeok, second wife of King Taejo, open 06:00–18:00 from February to May and September to October, and closed every Monday.
Jeongneung (A Royal Tomb) Seoul: Worth Visiting, Where It Is, When It’s Open
| Address | 116 Arirang-ro 19-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul |
|---|---|
| Phone | +82-2-914-5133 |
| Official website | royal.khs.go.kr (English site of the Korea Heritage Service) |
| Nearest subway | Jeongneung Station, Ui-Sinseol Line, Exit 2 — 584 m walk |
| Closed | Mondays |
| UNESCO | Part of the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, inscribed 2009 |
Jeongneung is the tomb of Queen Sindeok, the second wife of King Taejo, founder of the Joseon dynasty, and it is open Tuesday to Sunday with hours that change by season.
It sits at 116 Arirang-ro 19-gil in Jeongneung-dong, Seongbuk-gu, on the quiet eastern slope below Bukaksan, and the Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty that include it have been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2009.
If you want a Joseon royal tomb that is not a palace-crowd experience, this single-tomb site fits, but check the season’s hours before you set out.
Address and phone are in the table; the official English information page is royal.khs.go.kr.
How to Get to Jeongneung by Subway (Station and Exit)
Take the Ui-Sinseol Line to Jeongneung Station, leave by Exit 2, and walk about 584 m — roughly 7 to 9 minutes on foot.
- Ride the Ui-Sinseol Line to Jeongneung Station.
- Take Exit 2.
- Walk the 584 m to 116 Arirang-ro 19-gil; a Seoul subway route planner such as koreankorea.com/seoul-metro-area-route-planner/ can map your starting station to this one.
The station name works in your favour here, but the reverse trip is the trap: the Gangnam tomb complex called Seonjeongneung is NOT served by this station.
If your plan says Seonjeongneung, board toward Seolleung Station (Line 2 / Suin-Bundang, Exit 10) or Seonjeongneung Station (Line 9) instead, so you do not end up in Seongbuk-gu 20 km from your target.
Jeongneung Opening Hours and Closing Days
Jeongneung is open Tuesday to Sunday, and it closes every Monday.
| Season | Site hours | Ticket booth closes |
|---|---|---|
| February–May | 06:00–18:00 | 17:00 |
| June–August | 06:00–18:30 | 17:30 |
| September–October | 06:00–18:00 | 17:00 |
| November–January | 06:30–17:30 | 16:30 |
The ticket booth shuts 1 hour before the listed closing time in each season, so in the standard season you need to be inside by 17:00.
If your only free day is a Monday, pick another day or another site; Jeongneung and the Gangnam tombs both close Mondays, so a Monday visit needs a backup plan either way.
Whether holiday Mondays such as Seollal or Chuseok are exceptions has not been published on the primary pages, so confirm with the site at +82-2-914-5133 before counting on it.
Admission Fee, Parking and Visit Length — What Is and Isn’t Confirmed
No admission fee for Jeongneung itself could be confirmed from a primary page, so do not trust a price you read online without checking royal.khs.go.kr or the on-site booth.
The nearest comparable price point is Seonjeongneung in Gangnam, which charged 1,000 KRW for adults (foreigners aged 19–64) and 800 KRW for groups of 10 or more as of 2026, so budget with that range in mind and verify before you go.
No parking listing for the Seongbuk-gu Jeongneung was found in recent official sources, and Seonjeongneung does publish parking information, so the practical plan is to arrive by subway.
A visit length for Jeongneung itself has not been published on a primary page either; for a single-tomb site of this size, plan an unhurried stop and pair it with the rest of your day in Seongbuk-dong or the Korea University area rather than booking it as a half-day.
A comparable site, Seonjeongneung, runs free scheduled guided tours, but Jeongneung’s own tour or English audio schedule has not been confirmed, so check the notice board at the booth on the day.
Jeongneung vs Seonjeongneung: Two Tombs, One Confusing Name
Jeongneung and Seonjeongneung are different sites, and the shared ‘Jeongneung’ name inside the Gangnam compound’s official name is the reason visitors end up on the wrong line.
| Jeongneung (this post) | Seonjeongneung (Gangnam) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Seongbuk-gu | Gangnam-gu |
| Subway | Jeongneung Stn (Ui-Sinseol), Exit 2 | Seolleung Stn (Line 2 / Suin-Bundang) Exit 10, or Seonjeongneung Stn (Line 9) |
| Hours | 06:00–18:00 Feb–May & Sep–Oct; 06:00–18:30 Jun–Aug; 06:30–17:30 Nov–Jan | 06:00–21:00 Mar–Oct; 06:00–18:00 Feb; 06:30–17:30 Nov–Jan |
| Closed | Mondays | Mondays |
| Fee | Not confirmed — check royal.khs.go.kr | 1,000 KRW adults (foreigners 19–64); 800 KRW groups of 10+ |
| What you see | One queen’s tomb (Queen Sindeok) | A multi-tomb compound: kings Seongjong and Jungjong, with Seongnyeongneung |
If you searched ‘Jeongneung’ but meant the tombs near COEX, check which site you mean before boarding — this one is a single tomb in a residential quarter of Seongbuk-gu.
If you want several royal tombs and a dirt walking trail between them in one visit, the Gangnam compound is the better match; if you want one quiet, historically layered tomb, this one is.
What You Actually See at Jeongneung
Jeongneung is a single tomb (danreung) holding one person, Queen Sindeok, which is unusual for a Joseon royal tomb site in Seoul, and its history explains why the stonework looks different from a king’s tomb.
Queen Sindeok died on September 15, 1396, and was buried on October 30, 1396, in what is now Jeong-dong in Jung-gu — that neighbourhood took its name from the tomb’s first location.
In 1409, King Taejong forcibly moved the tomb to the current Jeongneung-dong site and demoted it to an ordinary grave; her stone figures were removed, and some ended up in the Gwangtonggyo bridge over Cheonggyecheon, where decorated stones from the original tomb are still visible today, some placed upside down.
In 1669, at the scholar Song Si-yeol’s proposal, Queen Sindeok was restored to the Royal Ancestral Shrine and the site was again honored as Jeongneung, so most of the stone figures you see date to that restoration.
| What to look for | Detail |
|---|---|
| Memorial lamp (jangmyeongdeung) | Modeled on King Gongmin’s Goryeo-era tomb — the oldest surviving stone structure at any Joseon royal tomb site |
| Tomb mound | Omits the screen stones and balustrades found at kings’ tombs, reflecting a queen’s rank |
| Layout | Built with the jeolseonchuk (broken-axis) technique — the path and central axis are angled, so a new view opens at each turn |
| Stele pavilion | One monument inscribed ‘Daehan Sindeok Gohwanghu Jeongneung’, with a biography of the queen on the back, written in 1900 |
The site was designated a Historic Site on May 26, 1970, covering 297,798 square meters, and it entered the UNESCO World Heritage List with the other Joseon royal tombs in 2009.
If I were going, I would ride the subway to Jeongneung Station Exit 2 and plan to enter before 17:00, because the booth stops selling tickets an hour before the listed closing time.
What I would look at first is the memorial lamp, since it is the oldest surviving stone structure at any Joseon royal tomb site and predates the 1669 restoration.
If you read the tomb after knowing the 1409 demotion story, the missing screen stones and reused bridge stones stop looking like neglect — they are the record of a political feud you can also trace downtown at Cheonggyecheon.
👉 Jeongneung — Visit Seoul (English)
👉 Official Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty (English)
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📎 📅 Upcoming Dates — Release & Event Calendar
Sources
- Tomb history: 1396 burial, 1409 relocation and demotion, 166 (namu.moe)
- visitseoul.net listing: address, phone, seasonal hours, clos (english.visitseoul.net)
- Official English site of the Joseon royal tombs listed in br (royal.khs.go.kr)
Summary
- Go by subway to Jeongneung Station (Ui-Sinseol Line), Exit 2, and enter before 17:00 in the Feb–May / Sep–Oct season, since the booth shuts an hour before the 18:00 close.
- If a Monday is your only free day, call +82-2-914-5133 or check royal.khs.go.kr before going, since holiday-Monday exceptions are not published on the primary pages.
- No confirmed admission fee or parking listing for Jeongneung: verify the price at royal.khs.go.kr or the booth, and plan the trip as a subway visit.
- Check the name before you ride: Jeongneung Station serves this Seongbuk-gu tomb; Seonjeongneung Station (Line 9) and Seolleung Station (Line 2 / Suin-Bundang) serve the Gangnam compound.
FAQ
Q. How do I get to Jeongneung royal tomb in Seoul?
Take the Ui-Sinseol Line to Jeongneung Station, Exit 2, and walk about 584 m (roughly 7–9 minutes) to 116 Arirang-ro 19-gil in Seongbuk-gu.
Q. When is Jeongneung Seoul open, and is it closed on Mondays?
It is open 06:00–18:00 (Feb–May, Sep–Oct), 06:00–18:30 (Jun–Aug) and 06:30–17:30 (Nov–Jan), and it is closed every Monday; the ticket booth closes 1 hour before the site.
Q. Is Jeongneung royal tomb Seoul worth visiting?
Yes if you want a quiet, single-tomb UNESCO site with a documented political history — the tomb of Queen Sindeok, demoted in 1409 and restored in 1669 — rather than a palace-scale compound.
Q. Is Jeongneung in Seoul the same as Seonjeongneung? Which subway station do I use?
No — they are different sites 20+ km apart. Jeongneung Station (Ui-Sinseol Line) serves this tomb in Seongbuk-gu; Seonjeongneung is reached from Seolleung Station (Line 2 / Suin-Bundang) Exit 10 or Seonjeongneung Station (Line 9).
Q. How much is admission to Jeongneung, and is there parking?
Jeongneung’s own fee and parking availability could not be confirmed on primary pages; the comparable Seonjeongneung charged 1,000 KRW for adults in 2026. Check royal.khs.go.kr or the on-site booth, and plan to arrive by subway.
Dates to note on the tomb’s calendar: Queen Sindeok died September 15, 1396, and was buried October 30, 1396; the tomb was demoted in 1409 and restored in 1669; it became a Historic Site on May 26, 1970, and a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2009.
Cover photo: AI-generated illustration (korean royal tomb) — AI-generated image, illustrative only
#Jeongneung #Seoulroyaltombs #QueenSindeok #Seongbuk-gu #UNESCOSeoul #Seoulsubway #Seonjeongneung #Joseondynasty
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