Sosu Seowon Confucian Academy소수서원

At a glance

In 1542 Ju Se-bung, magistrate of Pungi, built a shrine here to the scholar An Hyang, and the next year he added halls for teaching, calling the school Baegundong Seowon. When Yi Hwang later held the same post, he asked the court to recognize it, and in 1550 the king granted the name Sosu Seowon, bringing official status and state support. Because it was founded before seowon settled into a fixed plan, its buildings are laid out fairly freely. In 2019 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List together with eight other Korean Neo-Confucian academies.

Book ahead

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Sosu Seowon Confucian Academy · 3 tours & tickets

1. KlookBuseoksa & Sosu Seowon day tourA day tour by train to Yeongju covering Sosu Seowon, Buseoksa Temple, Seonbichon and Museom Village, with a hanok lunch.Book
2. KKdayYeongju day tour from SeoulA same-day tour from Seoul to Yeongju on a course that visits Sosu Seowon and Buseoksa Temple.Book
3. KlookSosu Seowon & Buseoksa private day tourA private day tour of Sosu Seowon and Buseoksa Temple in Yeongju.Book

Places to stay nearby

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Map

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Tips

• 01
  Seonbichon, a re-created village of traditional houses, is right next door, so it's easy to see both.
• 02
  From November the academy closes at 17:00, with last entry at 16:00.

Nearby

Seonbichon VillageA re-created village of traditional homes beside Sosu Seowon in Yeongju, showing how Korea's classical scholars lived, with hands-on culture programs.Buseoksa TempleA temple founded in 676 in Yeongju, named for its 'floating stone' and home to Muryangsujeon, one of Korea's oldest wooden halls.Guinsa TempleHeadquarters of the Cheontae Buddhist order: a dense complex of about 50 modern buildings below Yeonhwabong Peak in the Sobaeksan range.Bobaljae PassA hairpin mountain road at 540 m in Danyang, known for the maples that line about 3 km of its curves and blaze red in autumn.