A leisurely walk along the castle walls of Seoul

THE ORIGINAL ESSAY

The tour of old castle walls in Seoul takes you to sites that are often unknown even to Seoulites. Such castle walls in Seoul are mostly hidden behind walls of flashy modern buildings. If you describe the hidden treasures you experience on this tour to Koreans, you may surprise and impress them with your knowledge of Seoul.

The castle walls are not easily seen downtown as they were laid along ridges surrounding the capital to protect it from outside invasions. Such an architectural structure that surrounds an old city along its ridges and has stood the test of time is rare around the globe.

The tour of downtown castle walls offers a rather romantic way of discovering Seoul. Although it’s 18km extent can make for an arduous journey, the path along the walls, with all kinds of trees and wild flowers in bloom, will soon make you forget the crowded streets of the metropolitan city below. This kind of ‘downtown trekking’ tour, where the city and nature, the past and present continuously intermingle with each other, can be experienced only in Seoul.

Impressive scenery frequently greets you along the path. Of particular interest is the 4.3km-course of Mt. Bukak that starts from Hongnyeon Temple, continues to Sukjeongmun (a castle gate from the Joseon dynasty), Chotdaebawi (a large, candlestick-shaped rock), Gokjang (a portion of the walls), Cheongundae, and Baegangmaru (the top of the mountain). It then ends at the resting place of another castle gate, Changuimun. The course was closed to the public for security reasons and reopened in April 2007. Another must-see is the night scene of Naksan Park near Daehangno Street where Korean youth love to hang out.

The tour requires some preparation. You have to check the rather complex transportation route and make a reservation for the Mt. Bukak course. Though it can be demanding, a memorable day is guaranteed.

From Peter’s supplied Seoul guidebook introduction, chapter 5. Original observations and historical framing are retained. PDF line-break and spacing repairs are recorded separately from factual updates. Guidebook photography and venue directories are not republished.