Haengjusanseong Fortress

On Deogyangsan, a hill rising where the Han River makes a wide bend at the western edge of Seoul, stands Haengjusanseong. In 1593, during the Japanese invasions of Korea, Joseon troops under General Gwon Yul defeated a much larger Japanese army on this small hill in the Battle of Haengju. Today it is a well-kept historic park where paths lead past shrines and monuments to a summit overlooking the Han River and the Gimpo plain.

History: a great victory on a riverside hill

The fortress is believed to date back to the Three Kingdoms period. It is an earthen fortress with two rings: a small inner wall around the summit, which juts out over the river, and an outer wall enclosing the valley to the north, about 1 km around in total. Excavations since 1991 have shown that it was rebuilt several times during the Goryeo and Joseon periods.

In February 1593, Gwon Yul dug in here with about 2,300 men, including volunteer militia and warrior monks, and drove off an attacking force of some 30,000 Japanese troops. Together with the battles of Jinju and Hansando, it is counted as one of the three great victories of the war. The site was designated a Historic Site in 1963.

What to see

• Daecheopmun gate and Chungjangsa: past the main gate lies Chungjangsa, the shrine holding General Gwon Yul's portrait, where a memorial rite is held every year.
• The earthen walls: restored along the ridge, with a path on top that follows the outline of the old fortress.
• Victory monuments: the original monument erected in 1603, a new memorial built on the summit in 1963, and a replacement stone from 1845.
• Memorial hall and pavilions: the memorial hall explains the battle, and pavilions such as Chungui-jeong, Deogyang-jeong and Jingang-jeong are good places to rest. Near the summit you get a wide view of the Han River and Banghwa Bridge.

Good to know

Haengju Seowon, at the foot of the hill, is a Confucian academy founded by royal order in 1842 to honour Gwon Yul. Below the fortress, Haengju Ferry is an old river port dating back to the Three Kingdoms period, famous in Joseon times for the anchovy-like fish caught here for the royal court. A 1741 painting by Jeong Seon shows the area. Today a cluster of eel restaurants sits below the fortress.

Tripto tips

• Opening hours: March–October 09:00–18:00 (last entry 17:00), November–February 09:00–17:00 (last entry 16:00). Closed on Mondays, or on the next weekday if Monday is a public holiday. Entry is free, but parking is charged.
• Night opening: from March to October, on the second and fourth Saturday of each month, 18:00–22:00 (last entry 21:00). It may be cancelled in bad weather.
• Getting there: from Neunggok Station (Gyeongui–Jungang Line) or Hwajeong Station (Line 3), take village bus 011 or bus 85-1 to the Haengjusanseong stop.
• Time needed: the walk from Chungjangsa to the summit is uphill, so allow 1.5–2 hours for the round trip. A shuttle vehicle inside the grounds helps visitors with limited mobility.