Geochang Kim Suk-ja Shrine

Geochang Kim Suk-ja Shrine was built by descendants in 1706 to honor Kim Suk-ja, and the Chuwondang hall was rebuilt in 1949.

Kim Suk-ja was the father of the renowned Neo-Confucian scholar Kim Jong-jik, and was himself a scholar-official of the early Joseon dynasty. He passed the lower civil service exam in 1414 and served as magistrate of Goryeong and as a lecturer at Sungkyunkwan.

Deeply devoted to filial piety and a scholarly approach that emphasized putting learning into practice, he loved teaching others, and it was through him that the scholarship of Gil Jae passed on to his son. The shrine sits facing north on a north-facing slope.

It's a quiet place where you can trace, in physical form, an important lineage of Joseon Neo-Confucianism — from Gil Jae, to Kim Suk-ja, and on to his son Kim Jong-jik.