Gyeonggi-do is a province neighbouring Seoul and therefore always a popular destination for a weekend day out. In celebration of the temperature no longer dropping below zero overnight, on Sunday morning the three of us bundled into the car for some outdoor activities. About 25km from central Seoul you will find Namhansanseong - which translates to South Han Mountain Fortress - with its fresh (ish) air, birds, hiking trails and plethora of restaurants.Most of the fortress that exists today dates from the Joseon period. The construction was planned, beginning in 1624, when the Manchus were threatening Ming Dynasty in China. In 1636, during the Second Manchu invasion of Korea, King Injo took refuge in the fortress in an ill-fated attempt to defy the rule of the Manchu Qing Empire Hong Taiji. He fled with his court and 13,800 soldiers to Namhansanseong. Here they were well defended by the protection of a bodyguard of 3,000 fighting monks. The Manchus were not able to take the fortress by storm, but after 45 days of siege food supply inside ran out, and the king was forced to surrender, giving his sons as hostages and shifting allegiance from the Ming.
The fortress went unused and slowly crumbled until 1954, when it was designated a national park and repair of the wall commenced. The fortress area once accommodated nine temples, as well as various command posts and watch towers. Today a single command post and a single temple remain. The north, south and east gates have been restored.
The hikes around the fortress are steep but spectacular. While the trees remain bare, there were some tentative shoots of green grass poking through the ground, enough for me to be excited about the coming Spring.
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