King Jeongjo’s Construction of Hwaseong City and the Design of Separate Capital

Hwaseong Fortress, originally conceived as a separate capital (別京) by King Jeongjo of the late Joseon Dynasty, was intended to serve as a distinct administrative and military hub alongside Hanyang. This study reveals that King Jeongjo envisioned Hwaseong as a 'capital for the retired king,' leveraging state-of-the-art information systems and maximum national resources to establish a dual-capital system aimed at expanding royal authority and fostering national revival. However, post-Jeongjo, political factions thwarted this vision, reducing Hwaseong's status to that of a temporary palace fortress and a provincial government seat, far from its original grand design.

Choe, S. H. (2019). King Jeongjo’s Construction of Hwaseong City and the Design of Separate Capital. The Korean History Education Review, 151, 263–300. https://doi.org/10.18622/kher.2019.09.151.263