Korea’s unique fortified heritage is rooted in a tradition stretching back thousands of years and stands as a deeply ingrained symbol of national identity and sovereignty. Hwaseong was built as a fortified town between 1794 and 1796 by King Jeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty. The design was provided by the scholar and engineer Jeong Yak-yong, who combined Korean and Chinese fortification techniques with contemporary Western knowledge. The result was a hybrid defensive architecture that was state-of-the-art for its time and is now protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

At the end of August, on the initiative of Mr Hyunuk Park (Gyeonggi History and Cultural Heritage Institute), representatives of the Hwaseong Management Office in Suwon (KOR) met with Dirk Röder (FORTE CULTURA) to discuss future opportunities for cooperation. Discussions are underway regarding the organisation of an international fortress conference in Suwon, as well as the international promotion of Korea’s fortress heritage via the European Cultural Route FORTE CULTURA.

This followed on from various meetings held in the first half of 2026, for example with Hyunuk Park in Naarden (NL) and with representatives of the Korean Tourism Organisation, the City of Suwon and Korehalal Tourism at ITB Berlin and IMEX in Frankfurt am Main (DE).

Afterwards, Jin-Hyuck Jang (Hwaseong Management Office, Suwon) gave the group an expert guided tour of Hwaseong Fortress. During the tour, alongside the impressive history and architecture of the fortified city, current issues such as the monitoring of the building fabric, visitor management, climate change, digitalisation and accessibility were discussed in depth.

In the afternoon, thanks to the kindness of Min-Sik Lee (Team Leader of the Suwon Hwaseong Museum), we were treated to an exciting special guided tour of the fortress museum, which is normally closed on Mondays.

We would like to express our sincere thanks for the hospitality and look forward to further exchanges.