Suwon

Later, during the Joseon Dynasty, King Jeongjo made an unsuccessful attempt to make Suwon the nation's capital in 1796. Part of his project was the construction of Hwaseong Fortress, a fortified wall running around the entire city partially intended to guard the tomb of his father, Prince Sado, which he had relocated here.[11]

Hwaseong's walls were one of Korea's first examples of paid labour, corvée labour having been common previously.[12] The fortress was damaged severely during the Korean War, but it was reconstructed afterwards.[11]

Hwaseong was originally constructed under the guidance of philosopher Jeong Yak-yong. Shortly after King Jeongjo's death in 1800, Hwaseong Seongyeok Uigwe (화성 성역 의궤) was published, exhaustively detailing the construction of the fortress. This document was more precise that other such construction records from the time,[13] so it has proven invaluable during reconstruction efforts from 1964 to the present day.[11]

Suwon was once entirely encircled by the fortress, but modern urban growth has seen the city spread out far beyond the walls.[14] The walls are now a designated UNESCO World Heritage site,[11] and are often featured in the city and province's promotional materials.

It appears that a focal point in Suwon's resistance to Japanese occupation was Adams Memorial Hall, at 342 Suwoncheon-ro in Maehyang,dong, Paldal-gu (37°17′03″N 127°01′08″E). Under Pastor William Noble, this 1923 building was built in Samil Middle School grounds with funding from a church in North Adams, Massachusetts, from the Jongno Church, and from local residents. Here, independence activists including Park Seon-tae and Lee Deuk-su met weekly to discuss their rebellion.[15]

• 
  Suwon Adams Memorial Hall

The Korean War greatly affected Suwon, as the city changed hands four times.

Very shortly after the outbreak of war, the 49th Fighter Wing of the United States Air Force was dispatched to Korea from Japan. Its first task was to evacuate civilians from Suwon and Gimpo. While on this mission, on 27 June 1950, US planes in Suwon were attacked by North Korean fighters, and the Battle of Suwon Airfield became the first aerial combat of the war. Though the US repelled this attack, Suwon soon fell to the advancing North Koreans. Shortly before the Battle of Osan—the first conflict between United States and North Korean forces, on 4 July 1950—defences were erected on the road between Suwon and nearby Osan (then still under Southern command). The next day, Northern troops advanced south. In the 3½-hour battle which followed, 150 U.nited States and 42 North Korean soldiers were killed, and the U.S. troops were forced to retreat. The North Korean advance southwards to Osan was delayed by an estimated seven hours.[16][17]

On 16 December 1950, the Greek Expeditionary Force relocated from Busan to Suwon, attached to the US 1st Cavalry Division.[18]

From 6 November 1951, the United States Air Force's top fighter pilot Gabby Gabreski was in charge of Suwon Air Base, also known then as K-13.

• 
  North Korean T-34-85 caught on a bridge south of Suwon by US attack aircraft in the Korean War

A memorial to the French forces was erected in 1974 in Jangan-gu, near the Yeongdong Expressway's North Suwon exit.[19] This was renovated in 2013.[20]

Eyewitness account from US intelligence officer Donald Nichols places Suwon as the location of a major massacre of approximately 1800 suspected Communist civilians by South Korean authorities on 28 and/or 29 June, 1950. [21][22][23]

In 1949, Seoul left Gyeonggi-do.[24] In the same year, Suwon-eup in Suwon-gun became Suwon City, and the remainder of Suwon-gun became Hwaseong-gun.[25] Suwon became the capital of Gyeonggi-do on June 23, 1967 when the provincial office was relocated from Seoul.[26]

In 1987, Suwon expanded westwards as Homaesil was acquired from Maesong-myeon in Hwaseong City.[27]

There are several hills around Suwon, the highest of which is Gwanggyosan (582 m (1,909 ft)), to the north of the city, bordering Yongin.[29]

Most of the streams passing through Suwon originate on Gwanggyosan or other nearby peaks to the north of the city. Since Suwon is bounded to the west by Chilbosan and to the east by other hills, the streams, chiefly the Suwoncheon and Seohocheon, flow southwards through the city, joining the Hwanggujicheon, and eventually emptying into the Yellow Sea at Asan Bay. The entirety of Suwon is drained in this manner.

There are few natural lakes on South Korea's mainland, and none in Suwon. There are, however, many small reservoirs, namely Chungmanje (축만제), otherwise known as Seoho (서호) near Hwaseo Station, Irwol Reservoir (일원 저수지) near Sungkyunkwan University, Bambat Reservoir (밤밭 저수지) near Sungkyunkwan University Station, Ilwang Reservoir (일왕 저수지), otherwise called Manseokkeo (만석거) in Manseok Park, Pajang Reservoir (파장 저수지) near the North Suwon exit of the Yeongdong Expressway, Gwanggyo Reservoir (광교 저수지) and Hagwanggyo Reservoir (하광교 소류지) at the foot of Gwanggyosan, Woncheon and Sindae Reservoirs (원천 저수지, 신대 저수지) in Gwanggyo Lake Park, and Geumgok Reservoir (금곡 저수지), a small reservoir at the foot of Chilbosan. Wangsong Reservoir (왕송 저수지) in Uiwang used to be partly in Suwon, but after controversial boundary changes, it is now entirely in Uiwang.[30]

Suwon is primarily composed of Precambrian metamorphic rock, and has amphibolites that intrude through these, and also granites from the Mesozoic Era.[31]

Biotite gneiss (Precambrian biotite gneiss, PCEbgn) is found in northern Suwon, specifically Pajang-dong, Gwanggyo-dong, Woncheon-dong, and Maetan-dong. Visible rocks here are composed of quartz, feldspar, biotite, amphibole, and muscovite; and are generally dark gray or dark green. Mesozoic biotite granite intrudes through these.[31]

Precambrian quartzo-feldspathic gneiss (PCEqgn) is distributed in some mountainous areas in Hagwanggyo-dong and Sanggwanggyo-dong in northern Suwon. This gneiss has undergone silicification most predominantly, and is mainly composed of quartz, feldspar, biotite, and muscovite. It is grey, dark grey, grey-brown, and white.[31]

Biotite granite (Jbgr) from the Jurassic period of the Mesozoic Era constitutes most of Suwon, and is centred on Paldalsan. It is a form of Daebo granite, and is distributed through Homaesil-dong, Geumgok-dong, Dangsu-dong, Seryu-dong, Seodun-dong, Gwonseon-dong, and other areas. The main constituent minerals are quartz, plagioclase, orthotic, biotite, and amphibole.[31]

Suwon's single fault splits from the Singal Fault in Iui-dong, Yeongtong-gu, creating the Wonwonri Stream, and follows the this stream to Hadong, Wonwon-dong, and Maetan-dong. It joins the Hwangguji Stream in Annyeong-dong, Hwaseong City. This is a 20 km-long vertical fault running SSW, eventually to the Yellow Sea. In Suwon, biotite gneiss and biotite granite are brought into contact by this fault.[31]

Suwon has a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dwa), but can be considered a borderline humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cwa) using the −3 °C (27 °F) isotherm.

There are several universities and colleges in Suwon, including Sungkyunkwan University's Natural Sciences Campus, Kyonggi University, Ajou University, Dongnam Health University, Gukje Cyber University, Hapdong Theological Seminary, and Suwon Women's University.[41] Despite their names, the University of Suwon and Suwon Science College are not actually in Suwon, but in neighbouring Hwaseong. The agricultural campus of Seoul National University was located in Suwon until 2005, but is now in Gwanak-gu, Seoul near its main campus.[42]

• 
  Sungkyunkwan University library

There are 33 high schools, 37 middle schools, 81 primary schools and 107 kindergartens in Suwon.[41]

Suwon has two special education schools: Jahye School and Suwon Seokwang School.[41] Special education is also provided in Suwonbuk Middle School and Suwon Girls' Middle School.[43]

There are also two international schools in Suwon: Gyeonggi Suwon International School and Suwon Chinese International School (Korean: 수원화교중정소학교; Hanja: 水原華僑中正小學)[44]

Hwaseong Fortress, built under the orders of King Jeongjo in 1796, is Suwon's most notable attraction, and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The entire city used to be encircled by the fortress walls, but Suwon has long since expanded far beyond this boundary. There are four main gates in the walls, and Haenggung Palace in the centre of the fortress.

• 
  Hwaseong Fortress

Suwon Hyanggyo (Korean: 수원향교; Hanja: 水原鄕校) was a hyanggyo—a government-run school and Confucian ceremonial centre during the Goryeo and Joseon periods. During the Joseon Dynasty, it was the largest and oldest state school in Gyeonggi-do.[45] The school houses memorial tablets to Confucius, Mencius, and 25 Korean figures noteworthy to Confucianism.[46]

Originally built in 1291[47] beside Hwasan in Wau-ri, Bongdam-myeon, Hwaseong-gun, Suwon Hyanggyo was moved to its current location at 107–9 Hyanggyo-ro, Pajang-dong, Paldal-gu (37°16′22″N 127°0′44″E) around 1795—the 19th year of King Jeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty—when Hwaseong Fortress was built,[47] and it has since undergone several repairs.

Hyanggyo is open to the public on weekdays from 9 a.m. till 5 p.m. It is closed at weekends.[47]

• 
  Oesam Gate
• 
  Myeongnyundang (front)
• 
  Myeongnyundang (rear)
• 
  Daeseongjeon

Bugugwon (Korean: 부국원; Hanja: 富國園), also known as Suwon Gu Bugugwon, built prior to 1923, is a cultural centre at 130 Hyanggyo-ro in Gyo-dong, Paldal-gu (37°16′21″N 127°0′52″E). There is no record of the 85.95 m² building's construction, but exterior photographs were published in 1923, When Korea was a Japanese colony, the building was the headquarters of Bugukwon Co., Ltd., which sold agricultural products such as fertilizers. After liberation, from 1952 to 1956, it temporarily housed the Suwon Court and the Public Prosecutor's Office. From 1957 to 1960, it was used as the Suwon City Education Support Office, and in 1974 the Republican Party used it as their Gyeonggi-do base. In 1979 the Suwon Arts Foundation was based here, and in 1981 it became an internal medicine clinic.[48] Since 2018, it has been a public cultural space.

• 
  Bugugwon

Suwon World Cup Stadium was built for the 2002 FIFA World Cup,[50] and is home to the K League 1 team Suwon Samsung Bluewings. Another K League 1 team, Suwon FC, and a WK League team, Suwon FC Women, play at the Suwon Sports Complex.

Since 2015, Suwon has been home to the KBO League team KT Wiz. The team plays at the Suwon Baseball Stadium. The city was previously the home of the Hyundai Unicorns, but the team folded after the 2007 season.

• 
  KT Wiz Stadium

Suwon Gymnasium hosted the handball events in the 1988 Summer Olympics, and handball and table tennis matches at the 2014 Asian Games.[51] It has a capacity of 5,145 and has been repurposed for basketball and, more recently, volleyball.

• 
  Suwon Gymnasium

Basketball teams Samsung Thunders (men's basketball team) and Samsung Life Bichumi (women's basketball team) were also based in Suwon in the past and are two of the KBL and WKBL's oldest franchises.[52] In 2021, the KT Sonicboom men's basketball team relocated from Busan to Suwon.[53]

Suwon is home to the men's and women's volleyball teams Suwon Kepco Vixtorm and Suwon Hyundai Engineering & Construction Hillstate respectively, which play in the V-League.

Suwon has two national museums and a number of smaller institutions.

The National Map Museum of Korea is at 92 Worldcup-ro in Woncheon-dong. It houses a collection of 33,598 maps. Admission is free, and the museum opens daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.[55]

The National Agricultural Museum of Korea opened by Seoho Lake in December 2022.[56] Admission is free, and the museum is open daily from 10 a.m. till 6 p.m.[57]

There is also Mr. Toilet House, a toilet museum at 463 Jangan-ro, Imok-dong.[58] Built in 2007, ownership was handed to the city council in 2009.[59]

Suwon Central Library opened at 318 Paldalsan-ro, Gyo-dong, Paldal-gu, in 1980.[60][61] Today the city has 27 public libraries: seven in Gwonseon-gu, five in Jangan-gu, six in Paldal-gu, and nine in Yeongtong-gu.[60]

Suwon Arboretum is scheduled to open in 2023 beside Irwol Reservoir.[62] There are also many parks scattered through the city, some of which, e.g., Gwanggyo Lake Park, Irwol Park, and Manseok Park, contain sizeable lakes. Manseok Park also has facilities such as tennis (indoor & outdoor), soccer (dirt and artificial turf) and the Suwon X-Games skatepark, while Gwanggyo History Park has a traditional focus.

• 
  Manseok Park
• 
  Tomb of Simon (심온), Gwanggyo History Park

There are several major shopping centres across Suwon, e.g., AK Plaza and Lotte Mall at Suwon Station, and Avenue France and Alleyway in Gwanggyo. Another large centre, Starfield, is under construction beside Hwaseo Station.

• 
  Avenue France

Suwon City Council prides itself on the condition of its public lavatories. After efforts to improve facilities, there even used to be guided tours of the municipal facilities.[63][64]

Suwon is a regional transportation hub, with Suwon Station a major stop served by KTX and other trains on the Gyeongbu Line connecting Seoul to Busan.

• 
  Suwon Station

Suwon is served by three lines (14 stations) on the Seoul Metro.

• Line 1
  • Sungkyunkwan University (성균관대)
  • Hwaseo (화서)
  • Suwon (수원)
  • Seryu (세류)
• Shinbundang Line
  • Gwanggyo Jungang (광교중앙)
  • Gwanggyo (광교)
• Suin-Bundang Line
  • Cheongmyeong (청명)
  • Yeongtong (영통)
  • Mangpo (망포)
  • Maetan-Gwonseon (매탄권성)
  • Suwon City Hall (수원시청)
  • Maegyo (매교)
  • Suwon (수원)
  • Gosaek (고색)
  • Omokcheon (오목천)

Until 1973, the Suryo Line also connected Suwon to Yeoju.

There are two inter-city bus terminals in Suwon with connections to many cities nationwide: Suwon Bus Terminal near Seryu Station, and West Suwon Bus Terminal near Sungkyunkwan University. Suwon is connected to Seoul and other nearby cities by city and express buses with departure points across the city.

In 2017, Suwon Station Transfer Center opened to the west of the Gyeongbu Line. This new bank of bus stops was built to alleviate pressure on bus and taxi stands across the tracks.[65] Another transfer centre is incorporated into Gwanggyo Jungang Station; this is underground, and bus stands feature screen doors.[66]

• 
  Gwanggyo Jungang Underground Transfer Centre

The Yeongdong Expressway (50) passes through Suwon, with two exits within the city limits: North Suwon and East Suwon. Suwon is also served by the Suwon exit of the Gyeongbu Expressway (1), though this lies in Singal in neighbouring Yongin. The Pyeongtaek-Munsan Expressway (17) also has one exit in Suwon (Geumgok).

In 2013, the city hosted the EcoMobility World Festival in Haenggung-dong, where for one month, streets were closed to cars as a car-free experiment. Instead of cars, residents used non-motorized vehicles provided by the festival organizers.[67] The experiment was not unopposed; however, on balance it was considered a success. Following the festival, the city began discussing whether to adopt the practice on a permanent basis.[68]

Mireukdang (Korean: 미륵당; Hanja: 彌勒堂) is a small shrine to Maitreya in Pajang-dong, Jangan-gu. Its religious basis is a fusion of Buddhism and traditional local religions.

• 
  Mireukdang

• Webster, Hugh Alexander (1878). "Corea" . In Baynes, T. S. (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. VI (9th ed.). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 390–394.