Can Suwon Hwaseong Palace Become a National Project?

"This is wonderful. I feel the necessity to convert this into a national project and foster it with concentrated support."

Interior and Safety Minister Heo Seung-gwan expressed admiration after touring Suwon Hwaseong Palace on the 28th, guided by Suwon Mayor Kim Yong-seo.

Minister Heo inspected the civil defense disaster system in Pyeongtaek that day and visited Suwon Hwaseong Palace around 5:20 p.m., where he received an explanation of the palace restoration project while being guided by Mayor Kim.

▲ Minister Heo arrives at around 5:20 p.m. on the 28th and enters Hwaseong Palace together with Mayor Kim.

After touring Suwon Hwaseong Palace with Mayor Kim, Minister Heo stated, "Within the maximum scope possible during my tenure as minister, I will support the Hwaseong Palace restoration project to be converted into a national project," and added, "I will continue to relay this matter to the relevant departments."

Minister Heo also said, "Since the Ministry of Interior and Safety is a department directly linked with local government entities, I will actively seek ways to provide support."

While listening to Mayor Kim's explanation of Hwaseong Palace that day, Minister Heo toured the palace for approximately 30 minutes, ascended Seojangtae at Paldal Mountain, and then attended dinner with Gyeonggi Province Governor Son Hak-kyou.

Hwaseong: High in Historical and Cultural Value

When Minister Heo arrived in front of Hwaseong Palace around 5:20 p.m. that day, Mayor Kim, who had arrived 15 minutes earlier, and police officials including Park Cheon-hwa, chief of Suwon Jung-bu Police Station, and about 20 other city and police personnel welcomed the minister.

With an umbrella held by Chief Park, Minister Heo reached the entrance of Hwaseong Palace under Mayor Kim's guidance, and received a general explanation from Mayor Kim about the progress and future plans of the palace restoration project in front of a prepared information board.

After the approximately five-minute explanation, Minister Heo asked, "Is palace restoration simply for exhibition purposes?" and "If it's only for exhibition, there's no real effect, and isn't the intent fulfilled when people actually live there?" Mayor Kim responded, saying, "We will manage it thoroughly and make good use of it."

Guided by Mayor Kim, Minister Heo moved to the Bijangcheong within the palace and received an explanation from Choi Seung-deok, director of the Hwaseong Project Office, about the historical significance and value of Hwaseong and the necessity of the restoration project.

Director Choi stated, "Hwaseong Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is Korea's representative fortress built 207 years ago during the Jeongjo era, concentrating national capabilities," and emphasized, "The restoration project of 'Hwaseong,' a world cultural heritage, not only promotes regional economic revitalization through tourism industry development, but also has historical significance in terms of recovering pride as a historical and cultural city and inheriting traditional culture, as it represents the restoration of the world's first planned city."

▲ Mayor Kim provides a general explanation regarding the progress of the restoration project at the entrance of Hwaseong Palace.

Director Choi also explained, "From 1996 to 2002, a total of 3.253 billion won was invested, including 2.7 billion won from the national treasury, 499.7 million won from the provincial budget, and 2.485 billion won from the city budget, and 482 buildings including Bongsudang have already been restored. In the second phase project to be implemented ahead, approximately 3 billion won in budget will be invested, and 94 buildings including Uwhagwan are scheduled to be restored."

After Director Choi's explanation, Mayor Kim emphasized to Minister Heo the necessity of the restoration project, saying, "Hwaseong Palace is very popular as a filming location for historical dramas among major broadcasters," and joked, "Of course there's no such thing as free, so we strictly collect facility rental fees," lightening the atmosphere.

After listening to the explanation, Minister Heo wrote in a guest book left as a commemoration of his visit to Hwaseong Palace: "Let us all unite and pass down this glorious heritage to our descendants once more."

Mayor Kim also presented a blue and white porcelain miniature of the Suwon Hwaseong fortress as a commemoration gift for Minister Heo's visit.

Necessity of Converting to a National Project

After the explanation of the Hwaseong restoration project was concluded at the Bijangcheong, Mayor Kim requested conversion of the project itself into a national project with support from the central government.

▲ Mayor Kim presents a blue and white porcelain Hwaseong miniature to Minister Heo as a commemoration gift for his visit.

Mayor Kim said, "Given the historical and cultural value of Hwaseong, the significance of the restoration project is very great," and added, "However, the budget scale is so large that the local government finds it difficult to afford, and assistance at the central government level is urgent."

Mayor Kim said, "I have already requested support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Cultural Heritage Administration due to insufficient budget, but they have shown little interest, and we are in a dilemma regarding the promotion of the restoration project," requesting help.

In response, Minister Heo said, "Since the Ministry of Interior and Safety is not the relevant department, I cannot give a definite answer, but I will continuously recommend to the relevant departments, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Cultural Heritage Administration, to make efforts to convert the project into a national project."

Guided by Mayor Kim and Kim Jun-hyeok, city curator, Minister Heo toured Bongsudang and viewed Hwaryeong Hall's Unhan Pavilion.

After touring the currently restored Hwaseong, Minister Heo expressed admiration, saying, "This is wonderful," and stated, "Although I am not the head of the relevant department, during my tenure I will mobilize all available methods to help convert the project into a national project."

At around 6:07 p.m. that day, Minister Heo left Hwaseong, toured Seojangtae at Paldal Mountain with Mayor Kim, and then attended dinner with Governor Son.