Jong-ro 40ga-gil, located between Jongnodaero and Cheonggyecheon Stream, stretches all the way from the four-way intersection at Jongno 5-ga to Dongdaemun Gate. The street is commonly known as “Dongdaemun Roasted Fish Alley” because of its variety of roasted fish eateries and Korean restaurants. The street gained in popularity through word-of-mouth among merchants of the Pyeonghwa...   Read more

The Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) was the first building in Korea to have electricity power, which it first used to supply modern electric energy to light up the streetlamps along Namdaemun-ro in Jong-ro on April 10, 1900. The KEPCO building was also the first building to be registered a cultural property of Korea. Hanseong...   Read more

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

Following the completion of “Seokjojeon Hall” by the royal family of the Korean Empire in Deoksugung Palace, the palace museum was built as part of Japan’s plans for transforming the palace into a park during the Japanese colonial period. Although the museum was in many ways an affront to national sovereignty, it remains an important...   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