(Male) Climb up to the fortress walls and take pictures with the moon. This is the spot with the prettiest view. Take a picture of the moon and the wall together.

(Man) It’s wonderful, like a picture. It’s fantastic! I didn’t know there was a place like this.
(Woman) It’s fantastic. I didn’t expect this, but looking at the full moon makes me feel really weird.

People seem to be mesmerized by the scenery lit up by the silvery moonlight.

Suwon Hwaseong Fortress Moonlight Tour, a nighttime tour program of the World Heritage site of Hwaseong Fortress, is currently underway. Here’s Mr. Park Jae-shik of the Suwon Cultural Foundation to tell us more about the tour program.



The view from the fortress wall is stunning. We developed a moonlight tour program with tour guides to show how lovely the site is at nighttime, with the moon in the sky. The tour course includes a 20-minute introduction at Hwaseong Palace, a train ride to Janganmun장안문 Gate, a guided tour along the walls down to Yongyeon, and a 30-minute performance back at the palace. The Korean traditional performance is presented by the Gyeonggi Provincial Drama Company, the Gyeonggi Provincial Dance Company, and the Gyeonggi Provincial Traditional Music Orchestra.

Suwon Hwaseong Fortress Moonlight Tour takes place on nights with the full moon, starting at 8 pm and lasting for about two hours. Jeongjo정조, the 22nd king of the Joseon Dynasty walked the same path along the walls under the moonlight. The nighttime tour is conducted only four months out of a year, from June to October, and subject to cancellation in bad weather. So there’s always a flood of people looking to register for the program.

Hwaseong Fortress is the crowning architectural achievement of the late Joseon period. The construction of the fortress was driven by King Jeongjo’s love for his late father. When King Jeongjo was only eleven, his father, Crown Prince Sado, starved to death after his own father and then-ruler King Yeongjo locked him in a rice chest. Witnessing his father’s excruciating death scarred young Jeongjo for the rest of his life. When he rose to power in 1776, he elevated his father’s status and moved his father’s tomb from Yangju to Suwon in 1789. That was when Suwon was renamed Hwaseong. The construction of Hwaseong Fortress began in 1796. The structure was equipped with assorted military facilities, such as platforms for guns and cannons and beacon towers. It was a well-fortified citadel, as well as a palace, just as grand and important as the main royal residence of Gyeongbok-gung Palace in Seoul. This was because whenever King Jeongjo stayed there whenever he came to Suwon to visit his father’s tomb.

The circumference of the fortress measures 5,744 meters. It takes about two and a half hours to stroll around the bastion. But Hwaseong Fortress Moonlight Tour covers about 3.84 kilometers, with stops at Paldal-san팔달산 Mountain, Jangan-mun Gate장안문, Hwahong-mun화홍문 Gate, Banghwasuryu-jeong방화수류정 Pavilion, the Dragon Pond, and Suwon Stream.

Tourists arrive at Hwaseong in the twilight. The path to the fortress is drenched in golden light, dotted with the colorful red and blue lanterns held by tour participants. The descending darkness seems to intensify even the smell of freshly mown grass. Visitors excitedly wait for the tour to begin.

(Man 1) It’s been a while since I came out at night. I want to enjoy this walk.
(Woman 1) It was really hot during the day, but now it’s cooler and more peaceful.
(Woman 2) I’m looking forward to the snacks and performances at the end of the tour.
(Woman 3) I want to make good memories with my sister.

When Hwaseong Fortress was designated as a World Heritage site, the Executive Board of UNESCO lauded Hwaseong Fortress as the paragon of the 18th century military architecture, which incorporated the most advanced sciences and technologies of the time. Although it is a military facility, no two structures inside the fortress walls look the same. A large part of the fortress was destroyed during the Korean War, but a white paper titled Hwaseong Seongyeokuigwe화성성역의궤 or Records of Hwaseong Fortress Construction describes the entire construction process. The true value of Hwaseong Fortress lies in the fact that the edifices can be restored just as they were in the past by following the instructions laid out in the blueprint. The construction records even specify how much each stone weighed, what kind of lumber was used for the pillars, and how much was spent for each phase of the construction. Thanks to the detailed record-keeping, Uigwe의궤 or Royal Protocols of the Joseon Dynasty, in which the Hwaseong Fortress building plans are included, was included in UNESCO’s Memory of the World in 2007. The first course of the moonlight tour program is Hwaseong Palace itself.

“Haenggung행궁” refers to a temporary palace for traveling royalty. But the Joseon-era haenggungs served other purposes as well. Here’s cultural tour guide Jeon Sang-heup전상흡 to explain more about the functions of the temporary royal residence.



Haenggung served three purposes. It served as a refuge for kings during war and Namhansanseong남한산성 Mountain Fortress is such a case. Haenggung was also a vacation home for the royal family. The most well-known one is Onyang Haenggung온양행궁 where kings enjoyed the hot springs there. Another famed haenggung is inside the compound of Suwon Hwaseong Fortress and it was built as a temporary residence for King Jeongjo when he was visiting his father’s grave some 80 kilometers from the capital city.

The 576-room Hwaseong Haenggung화성행궁 was built on the eastern foot of Paldal-san팔달산 Mountain after the fortress was completed in 1796. It was the 20th year of King Jeongjo’s reign. The king’s plan was to make it his retirement home after he passed down the throne to his son. A deeply devoted son to his mother, the king celebrated her 60th birthday at Hwaseong Haenggung, not at Gyeongbokgung경복궁 Palace, indicating his love for the place. Here’s cultural tour guide Jeon Sang-heup again.

King Jeongjo used to visit his father’s tomb once a year. In 1795, when his mother turned 60, he held her birthday party at Bongsudang봉수당 Hall in Hwaseong Haenggung. All royal celebrations were supposed to be held in the main palace, but this birthday gala was the only royal event held in a local palace. See how the main part of the hall is located much higher than the ground? The king had wooden floors installed even down here on the ground, so the dancers could perform here while party guests looked on from above.

Once visitors are done touring the main part of Hwaseong Haenggung, they get on a train which takes them from Paldalsan Mountain through Hwaseomun화서문 Gate, Jangan장안 Park, and Janganmun장안문 Gate.

(Man 1) The moonlight is nice and the air is refreshing. It’s quite different from daytime. The balance between modernity and the ancient is quite impressive.
(Man 2) It’s my first time on this guided tour. I really feel like a tourist.
(Girl) It’s pretty. I feel like a queen.
(Woman 1) The ambience of train ride in nighttime is nice. I like that I can tour Hwaseong in comfort.

The three-car train is decorated with a dragon’s head in the front to symbolize King Jeongjo. The carriages for tourists are designed to resemble the king’s sedan chair, allowing visitors to feel like kings and queens. The first landmark they see on the train ride is Hwaseomun Gate, Korea’s Treasure No. 403. The western gate of Hwaseong Fortress is preserved just as it was centuries ago. About 150 steps south of Hwaseomun Gate is Seobukgangnu서북각루 Castle. Cultural tour guide Jeon Sang-heup explains more about the castle.

The building you see now is Seobukgangnu. You see that structure over there? That was a military command center. Seobukgangnu means the west-east castle. The gate you see on the right is Hwaseomun Gate, because it’s west of the castle.

Seobukgangnu is built on an incline, making it the perfect surveillance spot. In addition to Seobukgangnu, there are three more of these constructions located in the southeast, northeast, and southwest locations of Hwaseong. Just above Hwaseomun gate is a three-story building, the lower part of which is made of stone and the upper part with bricks. It was a bastion where soldiers fired guns and cannons at the enemies.

All the important structures in Hwaseong were built with bricks. When attacked, bricks can sustain a blow and only the targeted part is destroyed. But granite walls cannot absorb the shock, so a cannon shot can bring down the entire structure. This is why bricks were used for vital military facilities.

A feeling of peace settles in as tourists take a leisurely walk around the fortress under the bright moonlight. On the way to Yongyeon용연 or Dragon Pond, visitors see Banghwasuryujeong방화수류정 Pavilion standing tall on the cliff above the north gate of Hwaseong and Hwahongmun화홍문 Gate built on the granite bridge through which the Suwon River flows. The bridge’s seven arched water gates allow the water to end up in seven little waterfalls. The tourists finally arrive at Yongyeon, where they can see two moons – one in the sky and another one reflected on the pond surface. It’s where the view, the moonlight, and the serene ambience combine to stir up feelings of romance.

The moonlight tour concludes with a traditional performance at Yuyeotaek유여택, a temporary office for the kings. Before the performance begins, the tourists are treated to a special beverage.

This is Suwon’s signature drink, Jehotang제호탕. During the building of Hwaseong Fortress, King Jeongjo personally gave this refreshing beverage to the workers laboring away under the hot summer sun. Records also show that King Jeongjo’s father, who often suffered from rashes, used to take Jehotang to cool himself down. Since you’ve walked around Hwaseong today, please enjoy this drink offered by the king to his people.

After a 30-minute concert of haegeum해금 and gayageum가야금, it’s time for today’s tourists to say farewell to the bright moon and Hwaseong Fortress.

(Woman 1) I loved riding the train and watching the scenery as we passed by.
(Woman 2) I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to see the full moon today. But luckily the weather was nice. I want to come back again. It was nice to attend a traditional music concert under the moon.
(Woman 3) I thought all that walking would be tiring, but the concert at the end was really enjoyable. It was really beautiful to see the moonlight shine on the pavilions. It was a beautiful night.
(Man 1) It was great to see the traditional performance. The sky was clear after the rain and the moon was beautiful. I was happy throughout the tour. The fortress seen from Yongyeon was stunning.



King Jeongjo may have built Hwaseong Fortress, but his son, King Sunjo순조, carried on the tradition of holding parties for the city’s elderly citizens to demonstrate the meaning of love and respect for your elders. Although the fortress was built as a military stronghold, it is now better known as the symbol of King Jeongjo’s love for his parents. Perhaps this is why touring Suwon Hwaseong Fortress under the shimmering moonlight feels so poignant and inspiring.