Visited: Sept. 2010, Jun 2012, Apr. 2013
Site Type: Cultural
Inscribed: 1997
Background and Opinion:
Located less than thirty minutes south of the Korean capital is the best preserved city wall in the whole country. Hwaseong is a relatively new fortress (end of the 18th century) built by the Joseon dynasty to defend the city of Suwon and honor the late Prince Sado.
Contrary to most things in Korea, this structure is completely original suffering only minor damage during the Korean War. It has a wonderful river that flows through it and a very impressive flood gate. Walking along the wall is the best way to experience it as you can see some steep drops along the 5.5 km circumference.
