Kaesong Municipality was once the capital of Koryo (918-1392), one of the feudal states in Korea. In the city there are many tombs of the successive kings of Koryo and their wives and family members, including those numbering over 20 on the southern hill of Mt Mansu, north of Mt Songak and west of Kaesong. At the western end of these tombs is the mausoleum of King Kyonghyo, the 31st king of Koryo.
The mausoleum is a pair of tombs lying side by side–one for the king and the other for the queen. It was built between 1365 and 1372 under the personal supervision of the king who mobilized people for its construction.
The tomb mounds are about 6.5m high and 13.7m in diagonal diameter.
In front of each of the tombs there is an altar supported by large drum-shaped stones.
At each end of the right and left sides of the front yard of the tombs stands a tall hexagonal stone post. The tombs are girded with stone sculptures of sheep and tiger in an alternate order.
Three sets of rectangular staircases stretch from east to west, leading to a broader one further down the slope.
What is noticeable is that four statues of civilian officials made of monolithic stone stand symmetrically, while four statues of military officers are on both sides of the lower section as if they were attending a morning audience with the king.
The king’s tomb is divided into the inner passage and inner chamber. The inner chamber has walls built with granite slabs, and the ceiling is supported by a large flat stone. Paintings are drawn on the three walls in the eastern, western and northern directions and the ceiling of the inner chamber.
The mausoleum is in the typical style of the tombs built in the closing days of Koryo. In particular, the stone sculptures of civilian and military officials are part of the best among the existing old stone sculptures in the DPRK.
It is preserved as a relic of national treasure showing the talents of the Korean people in the period of Koryo.
Ham Jong Hyon
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