Monthly Archives: March 2015

Hwaseong Fortress: the West Gate, and the Really Big North Gate

Posted on March 31, 2015 by

I went north of Paldalsan to continue clockwise around Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, which is a World Heritage site. In this post, I will describe the West and North gates, as shown in the map below: My guidebook advises walking … Continue reading →

Posted in Fortress, Gyeoggi, Hike, Joseon, Mostly Photos, World Heritage | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Hwaseong Fortress: the High Point of the Wall at Paldalsan

Posted on March 30, 2015 by

After figuring out how to get away from Haenggung, I went straight up to the highest part of the fortress, Paldalsan, to start my circuit of the fortress walls on foot. Hwaseong Fortress is the impressive structure built by King … Continue reading →

Posted in Fortress, Gyeoggi, Hike, Joseon, Mostly Photos, World Heritage | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Hwaseong Fortress: Haenggung, the Palace of King Jeongjo

Posted on March 29, 2015 by

King Jeongjo is regarded as one of the better Joseon rulers, and he attempted to move the capital of the Joseon Kingdom from Hanseong (Seoul) to Suwon. At the end of the 18th century he built Hwaseong fortress around the … Continue reading →

Posted in Fortress, Gyeoggi, Joseon, Mostly Photos, World Heritage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Motelling in South Korea

Posted on March 28, 2015 by

Throughout South Korea, it’s generally easy to find motels in towns near tourist attractions and/or with a population over 20,000. This includes the ‘love motels’, which cater to people who want to have sex privately (due to the density of … Continue reading →

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The Remains of the Original Ancient Baekje Capital ‘Hanseong’

Posted on March 27, 2015 by

For the past week or so, I’ve been focusing on the ruins of the ancient Baekje Kingdom, which one ruled the southwestern part of the Korean peninsula. I went to the three capitals of ancient Baekje in reverse order. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient History, City, Forest, Fortress, Hike, Museum, Seoul | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Gongsanseong: the Fortress in Gongju

Posted on March 26, 2015 by

The last site I visited in Gongju was Gongsanseong, which had originally been the fortress protecting ancient Baekje’s capital, Ungjin. Gosanseong had originally been a fortress made of rammed earth, like Busosanseong. The Joseon government built a stone wall in … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient History, Chungcheongnam, Fortress, Hike, Joseon, Mostly Photos | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

The Treasures of King Muryeong at the Gongju National Museum

Posted on March 25, 2015 by

I walked over the hill from the tomb of King Muryeong of Baekje, in the present-day town of Gongju. As I’ve said before, Gongju was once Ungjin, the capital of the ancient Baekje kingdom, and the Baekje heritage of both … Continue reading →

Posted in Ancient History, Art, Chungcheongnam, Modern History, Mostly Photos, Museum | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments