Suwon’s Hwaseong fortress.

Only one hour of out Seoul is Suwon, which is famous for the Hwaseong fortress. Although it is a gorgeous structure now it’s history is a little grizzly- the fortress was built over 200 years ago by a Prince to honor his Father. Unfortunately he passed before it was built as his father locked him in a chest until he died.

• The fortress consists of 48 different structures including an amazing, 6km long wall similar to The Great Wall of China, which incredibly only took 2 years to build.

• The fortress was used as a military base in the late 1800s and therefore became quite damaged. In the mid 1970s it was restored, costing upwards of one billion dollars to repair, with the help of the original plans.

• When visiting allow 3 hours to cover it all and grab a photograph with the guards in traditional dress.

• There are 4 original floodgates to visit, which were used to wash away attacking armies. The ground was also protected by bow and arrow. You can have a go at this today with an archery course available within the fortress.

For more information about this story, visit Korea Tourism Organization’s website: www.visitkorea.org.au
Or Facebook site: www.facebook.com/SeeKorea

Our Explore TV team travelled to Korea on Cathay Pacific. To book flights from Australia to Korea, visit: www.cathaypacific.com.au