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| ▲This photo, provided by the Cultural Heritage Administration, shows the whole view of Hyoreung in Goyang West Three Royal Tombs.(PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲This photo, provided by the Cultural Heritage Administration, shows the entrance of Hyoreung in Goyang West Three Royal Tombs.(PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲This photo, provided by the Cultural Heritage Administration, shows the entrance of Hyoreung in Goyang West Three Royal Tombs.(PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲This photo, provided by the Cultural Heritage Administration, shows the view of Sogyeongwon in Goyang West Three Royal Tombs.(PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Jan. 5 (Yonhap) – Hyoreung in West Three Royal Tombs, Goyang Gyeonggi Province, which remained "unreleased royal tomb" due to restrictions on public viewing or access, will open this summer.
This has brought all 40 royal tombs of Joseon Dynasty listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites to open.
Royal Palaces and Tombs Center has planned to open Hyoreung, the tomb of King Injong, 12th ruler of Joseon Dynasty, and his consort Queen Inseong, around June, according to academia and citizen organizations on Thursday,
The Cultural Heritage Administration official explained, “Since last year, we have been consulting with related organizations such as the local community, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and nearby dairy cattle improvement center of NongHyup Agribusiness Group Inc. and are preparing for opening in June this year."
Reigning period of King Injong is the shortest among kings of Joseon Dynasty.
King Injong, son of King Jungjong and his second consort Queen Janggyeong succeeded throne in 1544 but passed away only 9 months after the succession.
Hyoreung is located in Goyang West Three Royal Tombs, alongside Huireung, the tomb of Queen Janggyeong and Yereung, the tomb of King Cheoljong and his consort Queen Cheorin.
However, unlike the other two tombs, Hyoreung is an "openly restricted" area within Goyang West Three Royal Tombs. Permission is needed in order to enter to repair or manage cultural assets or conduct academic investigation.
The reason for this is largely due to the influence of the surroundings.
Hyoreung is considered to be well preserved in the original appearance of the royal tomb, but it is necessary to go through dairy cattle improvement center to enter this place.
Center that supplies dairy cattle breeds to domestic farms usually controls outsiders’ access due to the specificity of the business. For this reason, access to Hyoreung is also restricted.
The Cultural Heritage Administration has reportedly been considering how to open Hyoreung to public for a long time.
The Cultural Heritage Administration official said, “We are planning to make a road from Placenta Center to Hyoreung,” adding, “we are discussing the details whether to take a reservation in advance and allow limited number of people to see like Placenta Center area.
Local official familiar with the situation said the
Cultural Heritage Administration is frequently visiting the site to discuss
quarantine issues in addition to the new passageway.
Along with Hyoreung, the Cultural Heritage Administration is also considering to open Sogyeongwon in Goyang West Three Royal Tombs to public within this year.
Sogyeongwon is royal tomb of Crown Prince Sohyeon, first son of King Injo 16th ruler of Joseon Dynasty.
Multiple officials said Sogyeongwon also has to pass
through the dairy cow improvement center to enter, which is also in contact
with the site owned by the Korea Racing Association.
Restoration of Goyang West Three Royal Tombs area and public opening Hyoreung were long-cherished wishes and tasks of the cultural heritage authorities.
When the Royal Tomb of the Joseon Dynasty was listed as
World Heritage Site in 2009, the Cultural Heritage Administration has announced
plans to remove "unsuitable" facilities inside the tomb area and
restore its original form.
Since then, the royal tombs, which had been undisclosed, have been opened sequentially to public. Since the opening of Olleung Royal Tomb, Yangju in 2019, the only royal tomb with limited access to the public was Hyoreung.
Kim Sung-ho, co-representative of the Goyang West Three
Royal Tombs Restoration Promotion Committee, regarding the opening of Hyoreung,
has expressed expectations for the possibility of future restoration, saying,
"40 royal tombs listed as World Heritage sites have been fully opened to the public and can finally keep promise with UNESCO.”
However, the issue of relocation of the dairy cow improvement office, which is the core of restoration, has yet to be concluded.
According to report on the preservation and management of Royal Tombs of Joseon submitted by the Korea National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites(ICOMOS), a UNESCO advisory body, to the Cultural Heritage Administration in 2021, it is estimated that a budget of about 670 billion won will be needed to promote the relocation of the dairy cattle improvement office and land purchase.
The Cultural Heritage Administration said, "We are constantly discussing with related agencies and actively looking for ways."
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Yunhee Cho.)
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