Namyangju Sareung Royal Tomb [UNESCO World Heritage] (남양주 사릉(정순왕후) [유네스코 세계문화유산])

Sareung Royal Tomb is the tomb of Queen Jeongsun (1440-1521), a consort to King Danjong. She was perhaps the most tragic royal woman of the Joseon dynasty.

In 1453, she was selected to be queen out of many candidates and actually became the queen two years later. However, when King Danjong was forced to abdicate from the throne in 1457 and was exiled to Yeongwol in Gangwon-do, Queen Jeongsun was deprived of her title as well.

After King Danjong died, she built a thatched-roof house outside Seoul’s Dongdaemun Gate and lived there for the rest of her life, continuing to mourn her husband. The tomb’s name, Sareung, came from the fact that she had missed her dead husband so much.

Unlike other royal tombs, Sareung looks very simple. Its size is relatively small.