Jongmyo (Korean: 종묘) is a Confucian royal ancestral shrine in the Jongno District of Seoul, South Korea.

It was originally built during the Joseon period (1392–1897) for memorial services for deceased kings and queens.

The main buildings of Jongmyo were constructed in October 1394 when Taejo, founder and first king of Joseon, moved the capital to Hanseong (present-day Seoul).

The shrine continues to be the venue for the Jongmyo Daejae ancestor-worship ceremony, where descendants of the imperial family honor the spirits of their deceased ancestors.

The main hall, known as Jeongjeon (정전; 正殿), had seven niches or myoshil (묘실; 廟室; lit.

The complex was expanded by King Sejong (r. 1418–50) who ordered the construction of Yeongnyeongjeon (영녕전; 永寧殿; lit.

This practice of expansion continued, with the growth of the complex moving from west to east, because of the need to house more memorial tablets during the reigns of later kings until there were a total of 19 myoshil.

[7] King Sejong composed new music for the ritual based largely on hyangak (with some dangak) in 1447 and 1462.

[8] Today, the members of the Jeonju Lee Royal Family Association perform the rites to the accompaniment of music and dance provided by musicians from the National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts and dancers from the Gukak National High School.