🎧 Yul's Korea Audio Guide
Naksan Park & Seoul City Wall
Narrated in English with Korean phrases by YUL of KVIBE IDOLS.
🎵 Background music: Letter on the Wind (바람의 편지) — KVIBE IDOLS · Listen to the full song →
Full transcript
Annyeong, yeoreobun! Yul here. Look at this hill. Does it look like... a camel? Naksan, also called Naktasan, got its name because it looks like a camel's hump. And running along its back is something amazing: the Seoul City Wall, Hanyangdoseong.
In 1396, the brand-new Joseon dynasty wrapped its capital in a wall that connects four mountains: Bugaksan, Naksan, Namsan and Inwangsan. About 18.6 kilometers in total! Parts of the first wall were made of earth. Under King Sejong, those earthen sections were rebuilt in stone, and later, under King Sukjong, sections were rebuilt with big, neat, uniform blocks. So look closely as you walk: the stones change shape depending on when they were laid. Every chapter has its own font!
And here's my favorite detail. Some stones have writing carved into them. In early Joseon, they recorded which region was responsible for building that section. Later, they added the names of the supervisors and craftsmen, plus the date. Why? So if the wall fell down, everyone knew exactly who built it. A six-hundred-year-old quality guarantee. Daebak!
Right beside the wall is Ihwa village, where, starting in 2006, artists painted murals and set up sculptures to brighten the neighborhood.
Yul's tip! Walk the Naksan section from Hyehwamun gate down to Heunginjimun, the gate also called Dongdaemun. It's about 3.2 kilometers, gentle, around an hour. Go near sunset; when the wall lights turn on, it's pure magic. Ihwa is residential, so keep it quiet.
Next, let's visit a museum where two brothers from a divided country hug forever. Kaja!
