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Hwaseong Fortress to Be Named International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark


Media Contact(s):
Joan Buhrman
703-295-6406
jbuhrman@asce.org





August 12, 2004

Hwaseong Fortress to Be Named International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark

Reston, Va. - Over 200 years ago, Korean King Jeongjo commissioned a military fortress to protect and memorialize the tomb of his father Prince Jangheon. The structure, which encloses an approximately 2.5 square kilometer city center, has been named an international Historic Civil Engineering Landmark (HCEL) by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

"The fortress was considered a pioneering achievement in the late 18th century, due to the modern technologies and equipment used in its construction," said Patricia D. Galloway P.E., F. ASCE, PMP, president of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). "That, combined with its aesthetic beauty, makes the Hwaseong Fortress worthy of the title Historic Civil Engineering Landmark."

On August 18, 2004, in Jang-An Park, Suwon, Galloway, along with the mayor of Suwon, Yong-Seo Kim, and the president of the Korean Society of Civil Engineers, Soo-Sam Kim, will host a ceremony dedicating the fortress as a HCEL. The fortress was previously designated a "World Cultural Heritage Property" by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Located in the Geyonggi province of the Republic of South Korea, eight kilometers north of Mount Hwasan, the fortress has a circumference just shy of six kilometers, encircling the city of Suwon. The original facilities along its perimeter included four major gates, five secret gates, two floodgates, three observation towers, two command posts, two arrow shooting platforms, five battlements, five sentry towers, four corner towers, one beacon tower, four guard posts, nine bastions and two bunkers. The massive project boosted the economy by providing jobs. It also represented a fundamental change in the employment system, where compulsory labor as the primary source of manpower was replaced by wages being paid in exchange for service. Hwaseong Fortress served as an exemplary case of this modernizing process.

The HCEL was created to recognize and encourage preservation of landmarks, as well as promote historical awareness of civil engineering both professionally and to the general public. The process by which sites are selected involves nomination by an ASCE section followed by an ASCE/HCEL committee review. Local, national and international landmark sites are eligible for nominations to HCEL status. In order to be selected as a historic landmark, the site must fit certain criteria. It must be of historic civil engineering significance, structurally or technically unique, at least 50 years old, accessible to the public and approved for HCEL status by the owner of the structure.

For more information about the Hwaseong Fortress dedication ceremony contact Joan Buhrman at 703-295-6406. Additional information about the HCEL program can be found at http://www.asce.org/history/.
Founded in 1852, ASCE represents more than 133,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America's oldest national engineering society. ASCE celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2002.
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