OKSAN SEOWON - ACADÉMIE CONFUCIANISTE

This private academy was founded in 1572 in memory of Yi On-jeok (1491-1553), statesman and Confucian scholar scholar. He was born and lived in Yangdong (one can see his home, Mucheomdang, and the house that he was built when he became governor, Hyangdang), and at the end of his life, he came to spend his retirement in this place, in a house not far from the seowon. He taught and wrote, especially on the philosophical problem that occupied the néoconfucianistes of then, the supremacy of i (form) on IM (energy). The seowon has been restored and rebuilt, but it is one of the oldest and largest in the country. There are dormitories, study rooms, sanctuaries, and a library with precious manuscripts. Not far away is Dongnakdang, the last Yi remains from 1516, but as she is still occupied by her descendants, we will be discreet. The upper one leads to a beautiful, unusual 13-storey stupa dating from the th century, on the site of a former temple of Silla. You can go to the Dodeok-am hermitage, simple but located in a beautiful setting (1 hour walk). This beautiful hike, combined with a visit to Yangdong, will take a good day. The tomb of King Heungdeok of Silla is also north of the Year. It is one of the few complete tombs of this time and, thanks to the stele that is there, it is also one of the few that was able to identify with certainty.