Jeong Yeo-chang, the individual who is honored by Namgyeseowon’s shrine, was a prominent sarim scholar of early Joseon who studied under Kim Jong-jik. Jeong spent three years at Jirisan Mountain to immerse himself in Neo-Confucianism and later served as the teacher of Yeongsangun (while he was crown prince). Jeong stressed the need for politicians to be morally upright for the creation of an ideal Confucian society. In the purge of 1498 (Muo sahwa), Jeong was exiled to Hamgyeong-do for having been a student of Kim Jong-jik and died in exile in 1504. Jeong is also enshrined at Seonggyungwan’s Munmyo as one of Korea’s five prominent Confucian scholars (nicknamed “five wise men of the East”), along with Kim Goeng-pil, Cho Gwang-jo, Yi Eon-jeok, and Yi Hwang.

Namgyeseowon was a center of uibyeong (righteous soldier) activity in the Gyeongsangnam-do region that resisted the Japanese invasions that occurred in the late 16th century. It was burned to the ground in 1595 by Japanese forces, but rebuilt after the war through the joint efforts of Hamyang residents. It faces the clear waters of Namgyecheon Stream and a wide, open plain and is positioned on a sloping plot of land at the foot of Yeonhwasan Mountain. Its layout was the first in Korea to follow the prototypical design of the Korean seowon, with the learning space in the front and shrine at the rear—the highest spot in the seowon. The layout of Namgyeseowon was copied by many subsequently built seowon.

After passing by the hamabi (stone monument that instructs the passer-by to get down from their horse) and Hongsalmun red spiked gate of the seowon and going up the steps of Pungyeongnu, the main gate, visitors see a framed inscription that reads: “The view is open on all sides. There is a wide field and stream that flows around the area. The forest, which is far off, is verdant. The sunset in the evening is beautiful.”
After passing Pungyeongnu, one can see two small ponds, one each on the eastern and western ends. Behind these are the student dormitories, Yangjeongjae and Boinjae, and two pavilions, Aeryeonheon and Yeongmaeheon. The pond, which bears the fragrance of lotus flowers and cherry blossoms, is positioned close to the learning space to provide a small resting place—an arrangement rarely seen in seowon construction. Behind this is Myeongseongdang, which has two name boards that each bear half of the seowon’s name (“Namgye” and “seowon”) in Chinese characters. To the right of Myeongseongdang is Gyeongpangak, a structure made entirely out of wooden planks that stores the seowon’s books and woodblocks. If you walk along the path between Myeongseongdang and Gyeongpangak, you will come face to face with a steep stairway, at the top of which is the shrine (sadang). Namgyeseowon was the first to position its shrine physically much higher above the learning space as a show of respect for those enshrined in it. In front of the shrine are Gwansedae and Jeongnyodae: Gwangsedae is a place for people to wash their hands before entering the shrine, while Jeongnyodae was a place for burning oil or resin-laden pine branches at night.