The royal city did not turn its back on the river
The western side of Pungnap Fortress met the Han, and part of that wall is understood to have disappeared through erosion and changes in the channel. Levees, motor roads and a riverside park now make fortress and water feel separate, but the river was central to the ancient site. It connected a wide basin for transport and supply while also imposing flood and security risks. Looking toward the water from a surviving western-wall section and then walking toward Gwangnaru places the missing wall within a changing river landscape rather than treating every gap as a simple act of modern destruction.
Gwangnaru was an eastern gateway to Seoul
The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Han River authority describes Gwangnaru as an important Joseon-period ferry: travelers crossed the Han here to continue through Gwangju toward southern regions. Officials connected with the Jwado water-transport station supervised traffic and shipping, while the relative importance of Gwangnaru changed as Sambat and Songpa ferries developed. Here Gwangju means the historic area southeast of Seoul, associated with today’s Gyeonggi Province, not the modern metropolitan city far to the southwest. Explaining that distinction prevents a first-time foreign visitor from imagining the wrong route. A ferry was a network joining roads, boats, markets and administration, not just a boat landing.
Modern bridges replaced the ferry function
The old riverside scene has disappeared. Gwangjin Bridge, Cheonho Bridge, embankment roads and parks now handle movement across and along the Han. It is unsafe to claim that a modern bridge stands on the exact coordinate of an old landing. Official Seoul material instead supports a broader change: permanent bridges gradually displaced ferryboats. From the Pungnap bank, visitors can compare the opposite Gwangjin side and the modern crossings, imagining how waiting for a boat became all-hours passage. Historic and present maps should be compared with care because water level, embankment work and river width also changed.
A public river park follows different rules from a heritage site
The Pungnap section of Gwangnaru Han River Park is a contemporary public space for walking, cycling and exercise. It can be connected to the fortress, but entrances and safe crossings make the journey longer than a straight map line. Never stand in a cycle lane for photographs. Low riverside ground and car parks may flood during typhoons or intense rain, so follow weather warnings and closures. Event, access and parking information can change and should be checked on the official site on the day. The park is not a themed reconstruction of a Baekje riverfront or a Joseon ferry.
A short route that joins wall and river
Begin at a public western-wall section, use the Pungnap access passage and continue to the river park to see earthen wall, modern levee and water in sequence. Do not assume every connection is open during construction or flood controls; turn back when a route is closed. At the river, identify Gwangjin Bridge to the north, then return the same way or leave through a public-transport access point. After dark, stay on illuminated public paths and confirm the trip home. The aim is not to locate one imaginary ferry stake but to understand spatially how the Han served for centuries as both the edge of a royal city and a transport axis.