One of the first day trips we did outside the city was to Suwon, which is very nearby and just to the south of Seoul. It's about a million people in its own right; Korea's eighth-largest city, or so I've read. But this isn't wikipedia.
It's known for its old fortifications, designed and built in the late 18th century on "scientific" principles. The main attractions are recreations and reenactments of various events and activities, but these don't run in the winter. So our visit was mainly for reconnaisance, to go at a quieter time. In fact, we found a lot of the restaurants in town were closed on a Sunday, although the street markets were in full swing. There was a bit of snow in the air. It's a slight climb up to the old wall in places, but worth it for the view. When we go back, we'll ride the little train ("with teeth") to see more of the walls.
Korea has a fair allotment of ancient to moderately old structures, mostly dating to the Joseon era, which isn't all that specific a designation, as it covers over 500 years from 1392 to 1910. However, where structures haven't survived due to war and foreign occupation, the Korean government has been rapidly rebuilding. So at any given site, there may be some original buildings and some that have been reconstructed in the last few years. This can give a striking sameness to many of the palaces, etc, in terms of design, materials, building techniques and decoration. However, I suppose in due course these new buildings will age too, and the niceties of "authenticity" will begin to fade with time. After all, some of Canada's top historic attractions (Ste-Marie among the Hurons, Fortress of Louisbourg) are entirely modern reconstructions as well.
