The Seoul City Wall Tour

A few days ago I had an exciting historical tour to Seoul city wall for foreigners. During the walking trip I met new friendly and positive people and learnt many new things about Seoul Wall so I decided to share this information with you. 

Jangchungdan Park is hallowed ground, steeped in the patriotic spirit of those who sacrificed their lives to defend their home country. During the Joseon Dynasty period this ground used to be Namsoyeong which served as a military facility to protect the capital city.

In 1895, Namsoyeong was replaced by Jangchungdan, a shrine to commemorate the souls of the soldiers who died while fighting to protect Empress Myeongseong, the second king’s wife from Japanese soldiers. Many Korean people died at that time.

The last Kingdom of Korea called Joseon. In 1910 Japan formally annexed Korea, bringing the Chosŏn dynasty to an end. And Korea lost its national power. Colonial period continued 45 years.

During the Japanese colonial period, Japan demolished the Monument for Jangchungdan Shrine and planted cherry blossom trees in its place. The Japanese occupying forces also built Bangmunsa, a temple to commemorate Ito Hirobumi, the first resident-general of Joseon. After liberation, the memorial sculpture of Choi Hyeon-bae and Yu Gwan-sun, the National Theatre of Korea, and the Jayu Center were built to honor the spirit of patriotism in the Janchungdan Park and its vicinity. 

The Hanyangdoseong (한양도성) or literally the Seoul City Wall is a series of walls made of stone, wood and other materials in order to protect the City against invades. This wall was first built in 1396 to defend the city and show boundaries of the city, surrounding Hanyang (the old name of Seoul) in Joseon Dynasty. The wall stretches for 18.6km along the ranges of Bugaksan (Mt.), Naksan (Mt.), Namsan (Mt.), and Inwangsan(Mt.), and stands at average height of 7~8m.

All the stones have six sides up and down. And the front side is the smallest one. The other side is bigger. The main principle of construction Seoul City Wall is the gravity and was used granite stone as a strongest one among other stone materials.

In old Seoul were eight official gates surrounding the city. 

At the end of the post I will upload a video so you can watch and understand more about the Seoul City Wall. 

Namsan Seoul Tower was the first tower-type tourism spot in Korea. The top of the tower is about 480 m above the sea level, including Namsan Mountain (243m) and the tower's own height (236.7m), making it one of the tallest towers in the Orient. Namsan Seoul Tower was first established as a broadcast tower to send out TV and radio signals in 1969. And nowadays it has become one of the representative landmarks and must be visited places in Seoul. 

Baekbeom Plaza is the space named for Korean independence activist "Baekbeom" Kim Gu. 

Please enjoy the short video that was made after Seoul City Wall Tour for foreigners.