The Wandering Whittens
South Korea

Doksanseong Fortress in Osan

Visiting Doksanseong Fortress in Osan was the perfect opportunity to learn a little about Korean history, as well as remember how much this country has gone through in a relatively short amount of time. Korea has a rich history, filled with numerous invasions, many occupations, and wars in the recent past. And still, the Korean people have managed to pick themselves up and create a country that is absolutely incredible.

Doksanseong Fortress in Osan

As a wanna-be history buff (which is basically to say that I LOVE history, but having five kids means I can’t just sit around doing historical research all the time… dang), I thought I’d share a little bit about Korea’s history with invasions. Buckle up, folks, things are going to get a little messy.

During Korea’s 2,000 years of recorded history, it has been invaded over 900 times. And although I’m unsure how that compares to other nations of the world, 900 invasions even over a 2,000 year period seems excessive. War in general has always been interesting to me. When I was traveling around Europe, it was humbling to see countries that had experienced war on their OWN soil relatively recently. Not in my lifetime, sure, but in the lifetimes of my parents and grandparents. Whereas, in the United States, the last war on our own turf was in 1890 with the Battle of Wounded Knee. And the last invasion was during 1942, when Japanese forces occupied Attu and Kiska Islands in Alaska for about a year (and if you ask most people, they are unaware that this occupation even happened).

And yet here we have South Korea who has been invaded so many times and has been at a stalemate with their neighbors to the North since 1953. It hasn’t been all that long since they’ve experienced war on their own land – and honestly they seem like a country that is still rebuilding. I get a little defensive of South Korea. When people say anything negative about it, all I want to do is jump into a long, detailed history of everything that this country has been through and how amazingly well they are doing. But I don’t. I just say how much I really love this country and how amazing I find their history. If there’s one thing Korea’s history tells me, it’s that Korea is one bad-A resilient country.

I randomly found Doksanseong Fortress on a list of “Things to do near Camp Humphreys” when we first arrived in country. And, sure, the fortress wasn’t at the top of my bucket list, but I added it to the list of things to do when we were bored and just wanted to get out of the house. One Saturday, we weren’t in the mood to do anything TOO crazy (no doubt exhausted from all of our latest adventuring) so the fortress seemed like a good way to go. And as a plus, Bojeoksa sits right inside the main entrance to the fortress – and in case you haven’t noticed, I have a thing for Buddhist temples.

As you walk the fortress wall, you get amazing views of Osan – which would have been better if the air quality hadn’t been so bad. A good portion of the walk along the wall has a steep drop-off on one side, but the walkway was wide enough that our kids (minus our 18-month-old) could make their way down the path easily and without us being TOO worried. Still, there were many people we passed who reminded our kids to slow down in an overabundance of caution.

Doksanseong (also sometimes called Dokseongsanseong – because Doksanseong isn’t hard enough to pronounce apparently) Fortress is known mostly for its role in fending off the Japanese Army during their 1593 siege of Doksan. As one of the first defenses from possible invasions of the capital city, Seoul, General Gwon Yul had twenty thousand troops stationed within the hill fortress and together they kept the Japanese from capturing it. Now, the fortress stands as a major historical site and includes a monument to Gwon Yul’s victory. History aside, it makes for a fun, beautiful, and unique hike.

One highlight of the adventure was the sweet ajushee (ajushee meaning “uncle” or “older man” – you may have seen me use the term “ajumma” before, which means “aunt” or “older woman”) who came up and handed each of our kids a Snickers bar. He then handed me his phone, yelled “picture!” in English and proceeded to grab H and pose with her and the other kids. I took a few pictures on his phone and I wish I’d thought to take some on mine as well. The same man watched intently as Brandon built a tower out of rocks (as many people seem to do in public places here) and cheered when Brandon finished. Then, as we were walking away, he started making one of his own.

There was also a couple who seemed to follow us during pretty much our whole hike. They kept on playing with H and saying “Kee-yoo!” which from what I can gather, is Korean slang for “cute.” They got a kick out of how she would wave and say “Annyeong!” and at one point she took off her shoe and just handed it to them. She’s been doing this a lot for the ajummas and ajushees, and we aren’t exactly sure why. Either way, they seemed to enjoy it and H was happy with the attention she was getting.

The hike around Doksanseong was the perfect Saturday adventure. If you’re looking for something to do outside, but don’t feel like and intense hike, then this is the place to go. Happy adventuring!

’til next time…

Ash

Tips for visiting Doksanseong Fortress in Osan

Directions: Navigating to the fortress is a little confusing, but you know I’ve got you covered. Usually for Naver I have to translate addresses or location names into Hangeul, but Doksanseong Fortress is one of the few exceptions. Literally just type in “DoksanseongFortress” just as I’ve written it here and it should take you there. NOTE: Naver will have you drive under a decorative archway (the One Pillar Gate for Bojeok Buddist Temple). Then you’ll enter a narrow, winding road for a while.

Parking: About half a kilometer before Naver says you’ll get to the fortress, you’ll hit a small parking area at the base of a really steep paved road. Naver told us to drive up the road, but we weren’t sure we could, so we opted to park in the small lot at the bottom and hike up. Upon arriving at the fortress, we found that there IS parking up there, but space is limited. Parking in either location is FREE.

Cost: FREE

Amenities: There are bathrooms right before you enter the fortress.

Tips: Hiking backpacks for small children would be helpful. In the summer, bring sunscreen as there is little-to-no shade along the fortress wall.

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