Nangye Park Yeon Seonsaeng Birthplace | Attraction Guide

Along the street of gugak (traditional Korean music), heading towards Godang-ri on a single path, there is the house where Nangye Park Yeon was born. Nangye Park Yeon is counted among Korea's three great musicians alongside Goguryeo's Wang San-ak and Silla's Ureuk. He was a government official and musician in the early Joseon period, born and died in Yeongdong, Chungbuk. Park Yeon compiled music books organizing musical notations and instruments, created court instruments such as daego and seokkyeong, completed court music, and developed pyeonggyeong for instrument tuning, thus advancing and perfecting gugak, earning the title "father of gugak." In the second year of King Sejo (1456), his family was nearly punished for involvement in the restoration of King Danjong, but Park Yeon was spared due to his service under three kings, retired, and returned here, passing away on March 23, 1458, at age 81. When he returned home, he played the flute on a boat crossing the river, an event so moving that passing boats stopped and many wept. This story reflects the sorrow of a distinguished figure who influenced an era and shows Nangye’s lifelong relationship with music in joy and sorrow. To honor his legacy, the main house and sarangchae were restored in May 2000. The floor plan features three sections front and side, with one side section having a two-post (toekan) structure. The central two sections feature a well-floor (umulmaru) and one side includes a kitchen and grain storage under a gomi banja roof with a wujingak-style tiled roof. The wujingak roof has only ridge and eaves but no descending ridge, with trapezoidal front and rear and triangular sides. The roof’s short ridge and long descending parts are distinctive. An annex building has a thatched roof barn, shed, and one room.