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Korean Folk Village
The Korean Folk Village was created to depict a traditional Korean village from the dynasty that existed in the 15-1700s. It is located on 243 acres in Yong-in City, near Suwon.

On the grounds are 260 complete houses representing styles of the different regions of Korea. There are also buildings representing mansions for the wealthy, government offices, worship facilities, village businesses and gardens. Koreans in vintage garb, roam the grounds depicting everyday life in a period village. The homes depict all aspects of Korean life, including family rooms, sleeping quarters, kitchens and more.

Our winter visit to the village only hinted of its popularity among Koreans during the warmer months. The grounds also include a museum, performance venues for traditional Korean dance and entertainment, souvenir shops selling crafts made on the grounds, restaurants and a modern amusement park for children.

The village is also popular among Korean film makers who use it as set for TV and film productions. One such crew was on the grounds on the day of our visit.

Several of the pictures on this Web site were taken at the Folk Village.

Hwasong Fortress
Within Suwon, is a fortress built by King Chong jo, 20th king of the Choson dynasty. The king wanted to build something in his father's memory and to protect the palace. It took 700,000 workers from 1794-1796 to build the fortress. It's walls remind one of the Great Wall of China, only smaller in scale. The area within the walls is probably a couple of square miles and comprises just another section of the city of Suwon. If you look carefully from a high hill, you can make out the fortress walls, but the city has built up on either side of the walls.

The palace and other buildings, plus parts of the wall, were destroyed by the occupying Japanese before and during WWII, and damaged further during the Korean War. The walls were restored in the mid-1970s and designated an international historic site.

One can hike the wall, noting the many bastions, gates, guard towers and arrow launching platforms that protected the former palace. Several pictures on the Suwon sightseeing page were taken on or near the fortress.

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