Paju Historical Site Related to Yi I

The site of Yulgok Yi I, National Monument No. 15, is the location of the ancestral tablet and family tomb of Yulgok Yi I, a scholar and politician of the mid-Joseon Dynasty, and is also the site of Jaeun Academy of Classic Studies where the spirit of Sin Saimdang still lives and breathes. Yulgok Yi I's pen name was Yulgok; his father was Lee Won-su, and his mother was Sin Saimdang. At the age of 6, he moved to Seoul with his mother to study. At the age of 29, he was first appointed to the Hojojwarang and was a representative political reformer, serving as governor of Hwanghae, Daesaheon, Daejehak, Hojo, Byeongjo, and Leejo Panseo. In the family tomb area, the tombs of Yulgok and his wife Goksan Roh, the joint tombs of parents Lee Won-soo and Sin Saimdang, and the tombs of his older brother and son form the central tomb. There are 14 other family tombs in total. Paju has an exceptionally large number of cemeteries, which serve as comfortable resting places for the dead and where the longing of the living pierces. Currently, the statues of Yulgok Yi I and Sin Saimdang have been restored and are magnificently enshrined here. There are five bullet marks on the marble front of the memorial stone to Yi I, so it is currently protected by a monument. Yulgok Memorial Hall, which exhibits Yulgok's mementos and biography, is also located here. His books include Seongriseol, Seonghak Seongyo, Gyeoggyeol Yogyeol and others. In 1973, Jaeun Academy, Yulgok Yi I's tomb, and Sin Saimdang's tomb were each designated Gyeonggi-do Cultural Assets. In February 2013, the site was promoted to National Historic Site No. 525 “Paju Yi I Site” in recognition of its sense of place where artifacts related to Yulgok Yi I are gathered in one place.