Kim Woo-young's Gwanggyo Column Finally Completed: Suwon Hwaseong Haenggung Restoration Project

Complete Restoration of All Facilities Damaged by Japanese Imperialism After 119 Years

I remember the scene on October 9, 2003, when the main gate of Sinpungnu, the main entrance of Hwaseong Haenggung, slowly opened as music and martial performances gradually filled the air.

An actor playing King Jeongjo smiled broadly and said:

“Welcome, my descendants. I greet you with joy...”

That day marked the opening ceremony of Hwaseong Haenggung. Over 2,000 citizens gathered at Hwaseong Haenggung. Those unable to enter Bongsudang, where the event was held, watched this historic moment through large screens installed in front of Sinpungnu.

The master of ceremonies was Professor Kim Jun-hyeok, who had won considerable attention in the election and was elected to the National Assembly. He explained the significance of the restoration, saying, “Hwaseong Haenggung is a space of hope for all people and a new home for everyone.”

I was joyful. What everyone had thought impossible had come true.

Yet at the same time, my heart felt conflicted.

The person who had made this possible was nowhere to be seen. Former Mayor Shim Jae-deok, who had accomplished this historic feat, was not present. Instead, newly appointed Mayor Kim Yong-seo, who had defeated Mayor Shim in the third nationwide local elections held on June 13, 2002, stood as the host greeting guests. Of course, I too stood at a distance, feeling both moved and bitter.

There were key figures who should have been seated at the forefront of this occasion but were absent. Former Mayor Shim Jae-deok, the late Reverend Lee Seung-eon who passed away before witnessing this moment, and many other committee members of the Hwaseong Haenggung Restoration Promotion Committee who were not invited for various reasons...

At that time, I too served as a committee member and took on the role of publicity director.

In October 1989, the late Shim Jae-deok, then director of the Suwon Cultural Center and former Mayor of Suwon, along with elders from the community, the cultural and arts world, academia, representatives of regional organizations, and the media—42 people in total—formed the ‘Suwon Hwaseong Haenggung Restoration Promotion Committee.’ As mentioned earlier, I participated as one of the founders and later as a promotion committee member, taking on the important role of publicity director.

The promotion committee met with then-Gyeonggi Province Governor Lim Sa-bin to relocate the Suwon Medical Center, which was originally planned to be built on the Hwaseong Haenggung site. Committee members including Shim Jae-deok, the then-director of the Suwon Cultural Center, Kim Dong-hui, An Ik-seung, and Lee Hong-gu explained to Governor Lim the justification for restoring Hwaseong Haenggung and proposed relocating and rebuilding the Suwon Medical Center elsewhere. Because Governor Lim readily accepted this proposal, Hwaseong Haenggung was able to emerge from the shadows of history back into the forefront. Suwon's history must never forget Governor Lim Sa-bin.

Whether it was divine providence or not, Shim Jae-deok, who was at the core of the restoration promotion project, ran as an independent candidate in the 1995 nationwide local elections and, breaking through strong partisan headwinds, was elected as the first popularly elected Mayor of Suwon. Naturally, the restoration project proceeded smoothly. The first phase of the Hwaseong Haenggung restoration project began in 1995 and was completed in 2003, with the opening ceremony held on October 9 of that year.

However, in the first phase of restoration work, only 482 out of a total of 576 buildings were restored.

The second phase of the restoration project began in 2021. It aims to restore facilities that could not be restored in the first phase, including Uhwagwan (于華館), which was located on the site of the former Sinpung Elementary School, and Byeolju (別廚), which was located on the Haenggung parking lot.

Hwaseong Haenggung was the largest haenggung (royal villa) of the Joseon Dynasty, used each time King Jeongjo visited Suwon. It was also a space created for his retirement years to spend his later life in Suwon. It was a historic site where the sixtieth birthday celebration of Queen Hyegyeong, King Jeongjo's mother, the grandest court celebration of the Joseon Dynasty, was held. It was also a place where rice was distributed to impoverished people, porridge was cooked for them, and special feasts for elderly residents of the Suwon region were held.

However, most buildings were demolished during the Japanese colonial period.

Now the second phase of the restoration project has been completed.

A few days ago, I received a call announcing the opening ceremony. They asked me to share my address so they could send an invitation. They also asked for contact information for some of the committee members from that time. It was heartwarming.

On April 24 at 2:30 p.m., the ‘Opening Ceremony for the Restoration of Uhwagwan and Byeolju of Suwon Hwaseong Haenggung, Restored to Its Complete Form After the Completion of Phase Two’ will finally be held.

‘Uhwagwan, where monthly ceremonies were performed with the wooden tablet symbolizing the king, and Byeolju, which prepared food for the sixtieth birthday celebration of Queen Hyegyeong, King Jeongjo's mother, in 1795, have regained their original appearance at their founding. Hwaseong Haenggung, which was damaged and lost during the Japanese colonial period, has been completely restored 119 years later and will hold an opening ceremony. We sincerely hope you will attend and honor this historic occasion.’

The contents of the invitation sent were as above.

Thirty-five years have passed from 1989 to 2024. It has been a long journey. During this time, many people, including former Mayor Shim Jae-deok and Governor Lim Sa-bin of Gyeonggi Province, have passed away. I too have grown old and have become completely white-haired.

Many Suwon citizens have long awaited the complete restoration of Hwaseong Haenggung. My heart, which shares a special connection with Hwaseong Haenggung, is now beating fiercely.