Yeongnyeongjeon

Jongmyo Royal Ancestor Shrine
Seoul, Korea

Yeongnyeongjeon is the second long hall at Jongmyo. It holds the spirit tablets of "posthumous kings," that is, non-royal ancestors who were promoted posthumously to kingly status by a royal descendent. This could happen, for example, when the kingship descended by collateral lines or adoption. Furthermore, the spirit tablets of "bad" kings were sometimes excluded or expelled from the shrine, if there was a sufficient consensus to do so. Such customs point to a relatively weak kingship in Joseon times, although there were naturally exceptions to the rule.