Seochon Artisan Alleys

The three-story building with a weathered, peeling green facade and handwritten signage sits at the edge of the Gyeongbokgung Palace wall. Built in nineteen thirty-six, the Boan Inn operated for seventy-five years as a modest boarding…

The house at the corner of Jahamun-ro sits behind a low wall, distinguished by a distinctively crooked, L-shaped footprint and a humble wooden structure. This is the site where the poet Lee Sang lived during his twenties. He was an…

The Dae-o Bookstore stands out with its weathered wooden gate and dark green paint, appearing much like a traditional house from a different era. Built in nineteen fifty-one, this structure operated as a secondhand bookshop for decades. A…

The Tongin Market is a long, narrow alley covered by a curved plastic roof, with a continuous line of open-fronted stalls spilling onto the narrow walkway. It started as a public market for Japanese residents during the colonial era, but…

Sangchonjae is a traditional hanok structure distinguished by its dark, weathered timber framing and the expansive, white-papered sliding doors that line its courtyard. Built originally in the early twentieth century, this residence…

The Park No-soo Museum sits behind a high stone wall, distinguished by a heavy, iron-studded wooden gate and a curious blend of Korean, Chinese, and Western architectural styles. Built in nineteen thirty-seven, this house once belonged to…

Suseongdong Valley is a deep, rocky ravine cut into the side of Inwangsan Mountain, marked by the stone bridge known as Girin-gyo. In the mid-Joseon period, landscape painter Jeong Seon captured this exact scene in his famous work,…