Tomb of King Sinmun

The Tomb of King Sinmun, Silla's 31st monarch (r. 681-692), sits on the eastern slope of Mt. Nangsan.

King Sinmun was the son of King Munmu, and carried on his father's mission of integrating the peoples of the former Baekje and Goguryeo into Silla society. He founded Gukhak, the national educational institution, and abolished the nokeup land-grant system that had underpinned aristocratic power, replacing it with salaried official stipends instead. To govern the provinces, he divided the country into nine administrative regions and established five secondary capitals at key strategic points. This tomb holds real historical weight as the resting place of the king who effectively completed Unified Silla's system of governance after the unification of the Three Kingdoms.