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Sosu Seowon Academy - 소수서원 (紹修書院) (built 1542 onward)

Sosu Seowon is the oldest private Neo-Confucian academy in Korea. It was founded by Ju Sebung (1495-1554), who was serving as magistrate of Pungseong county during a time of famine. His own account states:

"On the fourth day of the seventh month, in autumn, in the year [1541], I arrived at Pungseong [Punggi county]. That year, there was a great drought. The next year, there was a great famine. In that same year, I set up a shrine for Hoeheon [An Hyang (1243-1306)] at Baegundong. In the following year [1543], I had the [county] school building removed to the northern part of the county and established a private academy separately in front of the shrine to Hoeheon."

Naturally, many people criticized Ju's actions during a time of famine. He defended himself by quoting none other than Zhu Xi (1130-1200), the scholar who systematized Neo-Confucianism in Song China. Like Zhu Xi, Ju Sebung believed that education was the cardinal virtue of man, and ought to be promoted above all else. Ju Sebung reminded his enemies that even Zhu Xi established a private school, the White Deer Hollow Academy, in the midst of war with the Chin.

Ju Se-bung was a man ahead of his times. Private academies blossomed across Korea in short order, but because Sosu Seowon was the first, it became one of the richest. After Ju departed as magistrate, local scholars continued the fundraising campaign, receiving vast donations of grain, land, and slaves to support the academy. It grew prestigious because it enshrined An Hyang, the local scholar who had introduced Neo-Confucianism to Korea in the 13th century from China.

The academy gained even more prestige when Toegye Yi Hwang (1501-1570), the preeminent Neo-Confucian philosopher of Korea, became magistrate of the county. He asked the king to grant the academy a royal charter. The king responded favorably, sending a plaque with the name "Sosu Seowon" in the king's own handwriting, along with a generous supply of books. The annals of the reigning king, Myeongjong (1545-67), give interesting clues to the relation of the academy to the state. It specified that the local magistrate was forbidden to interfere in the affairs of the academy or disturb the Confucian scholars. The academy was to be promoted as a place where scholars could gather without interference from the Crown.

Sosu Seowon has a bizarre architectural layout compared with later academies (see others on this website). The reason is that Sosu Seowon used to be a Buddhist temple. During the Joseon era (1392-1910), Buddhism suffered heavy persecution. Many temples were closed and renovated for other uses. In this instance, the temple became a private academy.

For GPS users, the site sits approximately at 36 55.420' N 128 34.799' E (WGS84 map datum). Address: 경북 영주시 순흥면 내죽리 151.

(Designated Historical Site #55).

Plan view

Image adapted and modified from Seowon: The Architecture of Korea's Private Academies by Lee, Sang-hae.

Entry ticket with a birds eye view of the site. The large building is a new museum.