Insadong Tea and Crafts

The Tongmungwan building in Gwanhun-dong stands out for its weathered, dark wooden facade that seems to defy the modern glass towers rising around it. Since nineteen thirty-four, this shop has served as the hub for Seoul’s antique book and…

Ssamziegil features a continuous, gentle ramp that spirals upward for four levels, connecting dozens of small craft shops without the use of stairs. Architect Choi Moon-gyu designed this structure in two thousand four to mimic the winding…

The KyungIn Art Gallery operates within a traditional Korean hanok house that dates back to nineteen oh four. It once served as the private residence of a diplomat named Park Yeong-hyo. During the Japanese colonial period, the building…

The Myung Sin Dang Brush Store sits in a small, traditional shopfront marked by a dark wooden sign displaying its name in elegant calligraphy. Since nineteen thirty-two, three generations of the An family have hand-crafted brushes here…

Dongyang Hanji stands out with its facade covered in rolls of traditional Korean paper, stacked from floor to ceiling. This shop specializes in hanji, a paper made from the inner bark of the mulberry tree. While much of the surrounding…

A narrow storefront in Insa-dong houses Gaya Lacquerworks, identifiable by the smooth, deep luster of the wooden bowls and trays displayed behind the glass. These objects are finished with natural sap harvested from lacquer trees, a…

The stone pagoda inside Tapgol Park is protected by a glass pavilion and stands as the only remnant of the Wongaksa Temple that once occupied this site. During the Japanese occupation in nineteen nineteen, student leaders gathered here to…