Photos of Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, Korea

There are forty tombs of members of the Korean Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910) scattered in over 18 locations across South Korea - built to honour and respect the Joseon Kings and Queens and their achievements, they also served to assert Royal authority.

Donggureung, ("East Nine Royal Tombs"), in a large forest area in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, on the north eastern periphery of Seoul, is the largest cluster of Joseon Dynasty royal tombs in South Korea; there are nine royal mausoleums and seventeen graves, of seven Kings and ten Queens. The nine royal mausoleums include Geonwolleung, the tomb of Joseon Dynasty’s founder King Taejo (1335-1408). The newest tomb here is Gyeongneung, holding the remains of King Heonjong, who ruled from 1834 to 1849, and his wives Queen Hyohyeon and Queen Hyojeong, representing the evolution of Joseon-style tomb architecture over a period of five hundred years.

In the heart of Gangnam-gu, the busy district south of the Han River in