South Korea is filled with beautiful cultural artifacts and locations. Just an hour away from Seoul, is Suwon's Hwaseong Fortress. We give you our reasons why this K-drama location is a must-visit next time you're in the area!
Suwon is a small city outside of Seoul, though it is connected by the subway line right to central Seoul, and it takes around 1 hour. This should be reason enough for you to head to Hwaseong Fortress this fall!
Whenever I visit a new country, I love to experience the culture, history, and smaller cities. This helps me to gain a better understanding of the country, people, and of course, mindset.
Hwaseong Fortress's crazy story!
The true story behind the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress could be the plot for a period K-drama. I’ll try to keep it short for this post, but if you want to read more about the history and all the juicy details of affairs, illegitimate children, violence, and literal madness, there’s tons of information out there, and boy is it interesting!
In short, during Korea’s Joseon Dynasty, there was a king by the name of King Yeongjo. He had a son, Prince Sado, who was heir to the throne and held up to his father’s high expectations. It seemed that no matter what Prince Sado did, he could never please his father. His father reprimanded him publicly and refused to let him visit the ancestral graves of people who died, whom the Prince was close to.
Prince Sado’s mental health deteriorated over the years and he became increasingly violent. He would have outbursts of rage, violently rape women, and beat his servants, wife, and consort. It is recorded that he beat his secondary consort so badly that she was left to die on the floor.
This photogenic fortress is one of the origins, where Prince Sado started to become mentally ill, from the age of 10 where he started to experience delusions and nightmares while staying in the fortress. Were these due to his fathers mistreatment and ridicule? Or were these due to the fortress itself?
The best way to see the fortress is by walking along the walls. There is plenty of signage along the walls so you can learn more about what you are seeing. It also offers views of the city. We recommend taking a few hours to walk along the walls. We didn’t walk the entire length, but instead went from Paldalmun Gate to Hwahongmun Gate and were able to enjoy, learn a lot, and see some of the key highlights of the fortress.
To reach the walls, you’ll have to walk up a steep incline of stairs to reach the Suwon Hwaseong Fortress Seonam Ammun Gate. If someone is at the ticket booth, you might have to pay 1,000 KRW for adults, but a person isn’t always there. You may see other checkpoints along the way where you will have to pay and worth the price!
Hwaseong Fortress in K-dramas!
Recognizable in the hit series Twenty-five Twenty-One (2022), it is one of the pivotal filming locations for the story! The specific location of the location is the Southern Artillery Pavilion. Check it out!
And in real life...
Southern Artillery Pavilion
This really is a MUST-DO when you visit Korea this year! Not only, does it allow you to gain a better understanding of Korean culture and history, but it also allows you to recharge and take some time outside of the mega city that is Seoul!
Address:
Yeonghwa-dong, Jangan-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do
경기도 수원시 장안구 수성로 320
Let us know if you have visited in the comments below.
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