Nestled in the corner of an intersection in Sadang-dong, where Namtaeryeong Road, leading to Gwacheon City in Gyeonggi Province and Nambusunhwan-ro cross, there is an old building with the designation of Historic Site No. 254. The former Belgium Consulate, this building now houses the SeMA Living Arts Museum. At the time of its construction, most...   Read more

  During the Korean War, local medical doctors were able to treat injured soldiers and civilians with the help of medical aid from the US and European countries. Later, upon the conclusion of the armistice agreement between the two Koreas, three Scandinavian countries, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, prepared to withdraw their medical staff, but the...   Read more

Dilkusha is the name of a house in Jongno-gu where Albert Taylor, an American correspondent, used to live with his family. He announced the news of the March 1919 Korean Independence Movement worldwide. He had the house built in 1932 and lived there until 1942, when he was forced to leave the country by Japanese...   Read more

  The Meiji-za Theater (present-day Myeongdong Theater) was designed by a Japanese architect named Tamada. The work was started in 1935, the same year as the Gukdo Theater, and completed in October 1936. During the colonial period, it was used chiefly as an entertainment facility for the Japanese. It showed films produced by Shochiku. After...   Read more

  The Bank of Korea was built as the country’s central bank in 1912 based on a design by Tatsuno Kingo, an authority on modern architecture. Following the establishment of the South Korean government in 1948, the government viewed the establishment of a modern financial system, along with a central bank, as a priority. In...   Read more

  Chung Ceong Gak, a restaurant-cum-art gallery, is a western-style, ivy-covered, red-brick building that is known to have been built in the 1910s. The tall tree standing in the courtyard, the porch stairs, the part of the Chung Geong Gak with an octagonal roof, stone fireplace, and the attic are all typical features of an...   Read more

  A large number of people have been using Seoul Station. The station was started at a small wooden building, which was located in Yeomchongyo Bridge area, in July, 1900, when Gyeongin Railroad was openend. It is called as Namdaemun Station at first. During the colonial period, Japanese colonists attempted to change the landscape of...   Read more

  These days, there is an atmosphere of calm and peace in Deoksugung Palace and nearby Jeongdong Street. A century ago, however, the area was an arena of power rivalry. Jungmyeongjeon Hall in Deoksugung Palace is a red-brick, arch-style, two-story building designed by a Russian architect named Afanasy Ivanovich Seredin-Sabatin. Its name was changed from...   Read more

  Hong Nanpa was the country’s first violinist. He founded and served as the conductor of the Gyeongseong Broadcast Station Orchestra in 1936. He composed many classical songs, such as Gohyangeuibom (Spring in My Hometown) and Bongseonhwa (Touch-me-not), which are deeply loved by many Koreans, and numerous pieces of violin and orchestral music, in addition...   Read more

  Bishop Mark N. Trollope, the third bishop of Seoul Anglican Cathedral, led the campaign to raise funds for the construction of the cathedral. Designed by British architect Arthur Dixon, the new cathedral was begun in 1922. Cathedral Anglican Church settled for something less than what was originally designed, i.e. the shape of a Latin...   Read more

  An elderly lady named Gwon O-nam (83) has run the Dae-O second-hand bookstore since 1951. The name Dae-O is derived from her husband’s name (“Dae”) and her own name (“O”). The bookstore is located in a back alley to the west of Gyeongbokgung Palace. The old signboard, the old-fashioned sliding door, and the cramped...   Read more

  Itaewon, Yongsan is a great place to experience a mixture of many different cultures. During the Imjin War (1592-1598) and the colonial period (1910-1945), Japanese troops were stationed in Yongsan. Following the Korean War (1950-1953), the area became a U.S. military compound. An unusual fusion food became famous upon U.S. President Linden Johnson’s visit...   Read more