Tongyeong’s Dongpirang Village

Historically, Tongyeong was the navy headquarters of the 3 provinces of the Joseon Dynasty. Under General Yi-Sun Shin’s command and own love for the arts, the navy headquarters produced such fine quality work and craftsmanship that it became known for its art and culture. Several famous creatives have all come from the small city of Tongyeong. Like many mural villages, Dongpirang Village in Tongyeong was scheduled for demolition. The community came together to save the village from demolition by hosting a mural painting contest to prove the area could still bring in visitors. They were successful in cancelling its demolition and now the creative and artistic spirit of Tongyeong lives on through Dongpirang Mural Village.

Andong’s Seongjingol Village

Seongjingol Mural Village in Andong was a mural village created through the same “2009 Village Art Project” that created the infamous Busan Gamcheon Culture Village. The goal was to improve the living environment of those in the area to be a happier and more welcoming place that would naturally attract visitors, residents, and businesses. It has also served as a great opportunity for local artists. As the goal was to improve the aesthetics of the village and display the unique characteristics, the murals painted in Seongjingol differ slightly from other mural villages as they depict realistic imagery to blend in naturally with rest of the village. To add even more local influence, some residents’ own faces were painted onto the building and school children painted their own murals outside of Dongbu Elementary School. K-Pop idols NCT Dream also even came to participate in the painting of their own mural. The transformation of Seongjingol Mural Village was a meaningful project for the village members that allows both visitors and residents to appreciate the village community in a personalized way.

Jeonju’s Jaman Village

Jeonju is well known for being home to the largest Hanok Village in Korea, but just a short walk away on the side of a hill is Jaman Village. During the Korean War, the village become populated with refugees and before that, it was the village where King Taejo’s ancestors lived for several generations. The village was saved from demolition by an initiative to link the village to the Hanok Village and create a mural village. The murals in the village depict cartoons throughout the years to attract various visitors and so it can be enjoyed across all generations. Much like the rest of Jeonju, the village still depicts its history amidst the new murals. Hidden within the village is the Jaman-dong Golden Sign which marks the spot where Yi An-Sa, an ancestor of King Taejo, once lived.

Hwabon Village

As part of their carbon-neutral goal, Korea is seeking to replace their remaining trains cars with electric cars by 2030. For some villages with flag stations – who have already seen decreasing visitors over the years – this means their local stations won’t be serviced anymore and trains will be routed elsewhere. However, Hwabon Village, whose residents have already transformed the village into an inviting historical tourist experience since 2011, will likely be able to maintain their stream of visitors having already established their village name as a popular site to visit. Attractions in the village include the train station, old water tower, murals about Hwabon’s history, a café made out of train cars, and restaurants to build your own 50s-style lunch box. Most popular though, is an old school ground that has turned into an interactive museum where you can experience what it was like when your mom & dad were younger, including making Dalgona, trying on uniforms, playing games, and leaving a message to your parents on a lock in the schoolyard.

Sewoon Sangga

Sewoon Sangga has been a site of constant development plans, and the current repurposing of the space actually marks the 4^th generation of the area. During the Japanese colonial era, they area was mostly open so as to serve as a firebreak between districts and as an evacuation site for air raids. Following Japanese occupation, many war refugees began to settle there. Sewoon Sangga entered its 3^rd generation as an electronics hub, becoming the first and largest electronics market in Korea before being overtaken in popularity in the 1990s by Yongsan Electronics. Since then, the space has been slowing dying out and was slated to be demolished in 2009. Although one building did end up getting demolished, a new redevelopment project in 2013 was suggested by Seoul Mayor Park Won-Soon, who favored reuse of existing sites over new development and signed the Anti-Gentrification Cooperation Agreement in 2016 with Sewoon Sangga businesses. A portion of the area has been rebranded as Sewoon Markerscity to encourage new tech startups to set up offices there, meanwhile the original electronic repair stores remain, as well as apartments, pedestrian bridges, and popular restaurants and cafes that bring in locals and tourists alike.

Camp Greaves & Yongsan Garrison

The U.S. has held control of several military bases in Korea, Yongsan Garrison being one of the most well-known as being headquarters to the United States Forces Korea and United Nations Command since the Korean War. The U.S. base in Yongsan has also given birth to the surrounding area of Itaewon, known as an international district where many foreigners have set up shops, restaurants, and markets where they sell items from their native country. The base’s central position in a growing and overcrowding Seoul has made the transferring of the land back to South Korea more urgent. At the moment, a park to increase greenspace in Seoul is in the plans for Yongsan Garrison. Many more redevelopment plans are likely to come, as the current administration relocated the Presidential office to Yongsan. Yongsan is not the first to go through this repurposing though – Camp Greaves, which was returned in South Korea in 2004, has been reopened as an art space to the public, with plans to further transform it into a history park, highlighting its historical significance and geographic proximity to North Korea.

Spring: Cherry Blossoms

Cherry Blossom season in the spring is beautiful across all of Korea, but the most famous spot to catch the blossoms at is a festival held in Jinhae. The festival celebrates Admiral Yi Sun-Shin, a war hero who fought off the Japanese and prevented the Manchu Invasion, but as it coincides with the blooming of the cherry blossom, the festival attracts masses of tourists there to enjoy the spring flowers as well. What many visitors may not realize, however, is the significance of where these cherry blossoms came from. Since Jinhae was an important naval base, the Japanese planted cherry blossoms around targeted areas like Jinhae to display superiority. While beautiful to look at, it is a bitter reminder of Korea’s history.

Fall: Foliage & Ginkgo Trees

Just as the cherry blossom season takes over Korea in the spring, going to see the fall foliage, especially among Korea’s avid hiking population. The most popular destination to catch fall foliage at is Seoraksan Mountain on the east coast near Sokcho. What makes fall in Korea so colorful is the ginkgo trees whose leaves turn into right neon shades of fall. Korea’s largest gingko tree is 42 meters high and nearly 800 years old. Located in Yongmunsa Temple, there is many different tales as to who planted the tree. Some say it was King Gyeongsun who planted it, or maybe his son Prince Maui. There is even a legend that it is the cane of the great monk, Uisang, which would date the tree back to nearly 1,500 years. The tree has stood the test of time as it was the only thing remaining in the temple when it was burned down in 1907 by the Imperial Japanese Army because it had been a hideout for the Korean militias. The temple was rebuilt shortly after in 1909 and since then many come to the temple to watch the changing color of the large gingko tree in the fall season.

Winter: Winter Sports

If you think about winter in Korea, you’d be thinking about Gangwon-do province. The province has the most snowfall and many go there to ski and enjoy other winter sports. The 2018 Winter Olympic Games were held in a small city in Gangwon-do province called Pyeongchang. After hosting the 1999 Winter Asian Games, the city had its hopes set on hosting the Olympic Winter games, but it faced many obstacles in the way. Prior to the Olympics, many people – even many Koreans – did not know where Pyeongchang was. Pyeongchang lost its Olympic bid several times due to security concerns of its proximity to North Korea and lack of inter-city transportation. In an act of genius, the city took those concerns and campaigned their Olympic bid as a chance for North and South Korea to display unity. Pyeongchang won their bid, and in 2018 Winter Olympic Games, North and South Korea competed under a united Korea team. Winter sports in Pyeongchang brought a brief and unparalleled moment of unity to the Koreas, an incredible feat for a city that hardly had its name on the map before.