Straight from my shenanigans at the southernmost part of South Korea, I attended the FunDay Korea Network group to become a part of Global Supporters of Hanyangduseong (한양도성) which literally means Seoul City Wall. It was supposed to be a moonlight walk tour, but the weather was against us. We met at Dongdaemun Station, then we walked all the way to the assembly area where hundreds of participants from all over the world gathered for a small program. We made our own version of lantern which was used by people during the Joseon Dynasty. We also made our Joseon Dynasty ID while being serenaded by a leaf flute musician. It was kind of an artwork activity and I’m glad it’s not the highlight of the tour because I suck at art. I don’t have patience for it.
After our small session, we were divided into groups and we started the tour at the Fortress Wall of Seoul. I found out that the old name of Seoul was Hanyang. Every bit of the Seoul City Wall tells the story of the city. It was built in order to protect the place from the possible invaders and to set the boundaries of the city. As time goes by, the city wall started to sustain damage and eventually destroyed entirely. The Seoul City Government later on decided to restore the wall as an homage to the Joseon Dynasty era of Seoul.
As we walked across the stretch of the fortress wall, we delved into the deeper story of Seoul. As the torrents of rain started to fall upon us, we understood the true value of Seoul based on its history and the challenges it had to go through to become what it is today.
The nightscape of Seoul viewed from the perspective of the fortress wall is spectacular. I just realized that Korea is a bright city. Everywhere you go, the nightscape is something you should not miss. You can also see the four inner mountains of Seoul which are Baegaksan, Naksan, Namsan and Inwangsan.
Although it was raining hard, we continued our journey up to the highest point of the fortress where we enjoyed the view of the city at night time. There were a lot of lovers dating in the area because the ambiance is also kind of romantic especially during rainy days. There are also a lot of cafes and tourist spots especially the Ihwa Mural Village which is just around the area.
It was supposed to be a Moonlight Walking Tour but it turned out a Rainy Walking Tour. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the experience especially the learnings we gained from our tour guide about the history of Seoul. Next time you are in Seoul, try to visit the Fortress Wall because it’s not only a park, it’s not only a tourist spot, it’s not only a piece of architecture, it is the story of Seoul!
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