When the Incheon Port was first opened to Western nations, a flood of outside influences poured into Korea, giving rise to new, modern culture and institutions. In Incheon, one of these institutions of change was the Younghwa Elementary School, where modern education began 113 years ago. The history of Younghwa Elementary School began in a...   Read more

During the late Joseon period, the Korean Empire was caught in the middle of power struggles between nations from around the world. After the assassination of Empress Myeongseong and the emperor’s escape to the Russian legation, King Gojong changed the name of the kingdom from “Joseon” to the “Korean Empire” and restructured the organization of...   Read more

In April 2014, the Guui Intake Station was transformed into the Seoul Street Art Creation Center as the first base camp for street arts in Korea. The former Guui Intake Station began operation in 1976 and was the largest intake facility in Korea, producing 830,000 tons of water a day. When the new Gangbuk Intake...   Read more

Created in the early Joseon Dynasty, Namdaemun Market was once a place full of vendors and shops that sold goods illegally; this well-known market became a legitimate market in 1897, along with the opening of Changnaejang Market at the site of the Seonhyecheong (tribute bureau) storage building. After the market was established and the local...   Read more

Muakjae, located outside of the West Gate on the road to Beijing, was adjacent to the Yeongeunmun Gate and Mohwagwan Hall, where Korean government officials received Chinese envoys. Yeongeunmun Gate and Mohwagwan Hall were major structures that symbolized the idea of “serving the Great”, an attitude that Joseon Korea held towards China. These two structures...   Read more

On April 5, 1885, on Easter Sunday, missionary Henry Appenzeller and his wife disembarked at Jemulpo Port, stepping foot in Joseon Korea for the first time. The couple began their missionary work by holding church services in a small thatched-roof cottage before moving to a cozy white chapel with lime plaster walls in 1895 and...   Read more

When Subway Line 2 was first opened, a number of small theaters and unique cafés began to spring up along the entrance to Hongdae (Hongik University). This area soon became the main culture and arts street of Seoul; however, in the 2000s, large stores and cafes begin to flood the area, choking out many of...   Read more

Hannamdaegyo Bridge was originally known as the Third Hanganggyo Bridge. It was renamed during the Comprehensive Hangang Development Project in 1985. As a gateway to the Gyeongbu Express Way, Hannamdaegyo Bridge served as a way to help relieve some of the anxiety people felt after the war—giving city residents another way to flee across the...   Read more

The Paldal-gu area, an older section of the city, still contains the remnants of modern architecture built during the Japanese colonization of Korea. One of the buildings from this time that has been well preserved and maintained is the annex building of the Suwon Family Women’s Hall, which has also been designated a local landmark....   Read more

Halfway across Yanghwadaegyo Bridge, which connects Hapjeong-dong and Dangsan-dong, there is a park floating on the river like a huge ship. Once the site of a water purification plant that supplied drinking water to the southwestern district of Seoul, when it was closed, the plant was reborn as Seonyudo Park, an ecological space on the...   Read more

Ham Seok-heon’s House in Ssangmun-dong, Dobong-gu, will open its doors in September to serve as a memorial hall. After a year of remodeling, the old house where Ham once lived has been modified into an exhibition room and various spaces for citizens, while preserving as much of its original form as possible. The memorial hall...   Read more

Suwon Hwaseong Fortress, with a total length of 5.7 kilometers and spanning an area of 1.2 square meters, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the masterpiece of King Jeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty and features dozens of facilities, including four gates, especially Paldalmun Gate. Near Hwahongmun Gate, north of Hwaseong, there remain the...   Read more