In the mountains of Gangwon Province, the town of Yeongwol sits where two rivers meet among steep forested ridges, and at the edge of it, in a stand of pines, lies Jangneung, the tomb of Danjong. Danjong became king as a boy of eleven in 1452. His uncle Sejo seized the throne a few years later, and the young king was exiled to Yeongwol, a remote and isolated place chosen for that reason, and died there in 1457, still a teenager. The tomb is a simple grassy mound that is part of the UNESCO group of Joseon royal burials, and it lies far from the other royal tombs, which cluster around Seoul.
Koreans feel the sadness of the story strongly. Danjong's loyal officials, remembered as the six martyred ministers, were killed for trying to restore him, and later generations came to honour him as a symbol of loyalty. The layout of the tomb follows the usual pattern, with stone figures lining the approach, a pavilion for the ritual, and a path that climbs gently up through the trees. It is a quiet and solemn place, with the sort of silence that feels deliberate.
Getting here is a pleasure on a bike. The mountain roads into Yeongwol wind through valleys with cliffs, small farms, and rivers cutting deep bends, and the traffic outside the holiday season is light. The famous Hanbando-shaped river bend at Seonam village, a short way outside, is a good place for a stop. Autumn brings flaming maples and golden larch, spring brings azaleas, and winter is clear but very cold, with ice on the shaded corners, so check conditions carefully. Heavy rains in July and August can cause landslides in the narrow valleys.
Yeongwol is a town of about twenty-five thousand people, large enough for fuel, restaurants and simple lodging, and Pyeongchang, about twenty kilometres north, has more if you need it. Mountain-style food is the speciality: buckwheat noodles, wild vegetable rice, and grilled trout from the cold rivers. The ride toward Andong and Dosan Seowon, the great Confucian academy, continues south through the Taebaek mountains into the heartland of traditional Korean culture.