More than resting place for royals

A mother of two grade schoolers, Kim Moon-sook is an enthusiastic proponent of walking tours of royal Joseon tombs, some of which sit near her neighborhood in Guri, Gyeonggi Province.

“I thought, ‘It’s a burial site, so what could be out there to keep us occupied?’ But it turns out that isn’t the case,” Kim said of her recent trip to Donggureung, or the East Nine Royal Tombs, a compound of nine graves of Joseon (1392-1910) kings and queens.

“The vast compound is a place to clear your head. With little distractions like the usual city noise from cars and people, a walk here quiets the mind,” Kim said.

Donggungreung is home to Geonwolleung, the royal tomb of King Taejo, the founder of Joseon.

While Geonwolleung is a traditional Joseon royal tomb, a Korea Heritage Service official said the silver grass covering the mound is unique among the 40 Joseon royal tombs spread across Seoul and Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces.

King Taejo wanted to be buried with the silver grass from his hometown of Hamhung, South Hamgyong Province, in today’s North Korea.

In 2009, UNESCO recognized that South Korea’s 40 royal tombs “represent a significant stage in the development of Korean and East Asian burial mounds,” designating them World Heritage Sites.

Oh Jung-in, a mother of a preteen living in Seoul, hopes to cover all the royal tombs — 31 in Gyeonggi Province, eight in Seoul and one in Gangwon Province. Her motivation is education.

“To me, taking my kid out there is like a field trip,” said Oh, who has already visited every tomb in Seoul. “I want her to have fun out there, but while taking home something that’s going to last.”

According to Oh, more parents of middle schoolers and younger children are now taking part in guided tours.

Tombs typically offer three to four guided tours daily, which require online reservations. Guri, which oversees the East Nine Royal Tombs tours, added a fourth tour in March to meet increasing demand.

In Seoul, office workers make up the majority of visitors to the Seolleung and Jeongneung Royal Tombs around weekday lunch hours.

Seolleung — the royal tomb of King Seongjong, the ninth king of Joseon, and Queen Jeonghyeon — is surrounded by high-rise office buildings in Gangnam-gu, less than a 10-minute walk from Seolleung Station on Subway Line No. 2.

“I stop by to walk the trails before returning to the office,” said Kang Min-seok, a software engineer who works nearby. He was recently advised by his physician to change his sedentary lifestyle.

“It’s my way of making the kind of ‘tiny movements’ that will get me back into shape,” Kang said, adding that he’s not alone in engaging in short, low-intensity exercise hour after lunch.

Min Hyun-ji, Kang’s colleague, said she too takes a walk around Seolleung, calling the area “open but secluded.”

Online reservations opened this week for special guided tours running May 16-June 14 that shed light on royal processions and practices involving royal tombs. The one-day tours will cover mostly royal burial sites in Gyeonggi Province.