2019, 2013, 1994, 1988 ... As soon as you step into the penguin village, the clock starts to turn upside down. Every step of the way I feel like I'm going back to the past more and more. You don't even need a time machine here. All you need is a camera for fun photos and a hat to block sunlight. Let's go to Penguin Village in Yangrim-dong, Gwangju, a memory playground for adults.

Yangrim-dong, Gwangju, Jeollanam-do, is a time machine travel destination to the past. Gwangju is a popular destination for modern history, and there is another time travel destination that evokes old memories. The penguin village is also very interesting. Although penguins do not live, there are many other eye-catching things to see. It is a place that emerges as a unique destination in time travel.

The alleyway next to the Yangrim Community Center is a secret passageway leading to the time of the 1970s and 1980s. It is small and narrow enough to be easily overlooked, if not carefully examined. From the moment you find a penguin made of recycled gas cylinders at the entrance to the alley, the memories of the penguin town begins with a smile.

The old, shabby wall scenery that appeared as soon as one step into the penguin village jumped the time back a decade. The old, dark stained concrete fence is filled with all sorts of graffiti written in the old movers center advertisement, town map, and colored chalk. After a few more steps, I stop at all and burst into laughter. The amount of pan should be in the kitchen, and frying pans and colanders glisten as if they were sunbathing.

After a fun wall exhibition, a full-fledged village tour begins. The small village garden with small flowers and trees is a resting place for residents and a great photo zone for travelers. Of course it is not an ordinary garden. A guitar and a mirror ball are hung instead of the tree fruit, and the key that turns the grain between the flower fields occupies one place.

At this point, we cannot help but wonder why the village name is 'Penguin Village'. The Penguin Village contains the characteristics of this village, which has a high age among residents, including the elderly living alone. The old man's walking image resembled a penguin that was faltering and was called as an alias, and it became the name of the village. It is an affectionate nickname to make the atmosphere of a quiet village more enjoyable and energetic.

Along with the nickname, the Penguin Village began to look like it is now about 5 years ago. It started with Kim Dong-gyun, the self-proclaimed mayor of this village, decorating and decorating his hometown as a hobby with all sorts of old objects and junk stuff piled up in a vacant neighborhood. In the meantime, as the residents brought together the old objects they had and worked together to build a village, the garbage here became a great driving force for the time travel. It's all used in real life, so it makes me feel better. Perhaps this is the charm of Penguin Village. The ordinary town was reborn as a time machine travel destination, one of the hot places these days due to the 'conversion of ideas'.

The old objects packed in every alley reminiscent of the exhibition halls of memories that have compressed decades of time. The pace of the steps here is proportional to the amount of memory each person has.

A middle-aged gentleman stops walking in front of a faded old poster and stands for a long time, and the old couple who leaned on each other for a long time reflects the years passed in front of the sculpture of the bride and groom stained with hands. The children are excited as if they have found something novel, and the young travelers have no choice but to take pictures of these alleys.

Penguin Village is enriched on Saturdays. This is because the alleyway flea market with handmade products, snacks, and a simple henna experience is opened from the morning. Although it is small and does not open regularly, the atmosphere of the flea market in the alleys of memories is more warm and warm than anywhere else.

It's fun to play with soap bubbles of memories that you've been struggling with when you're only going to blow alone.

You should also pick up some souvenirs from the Penguin Village. Another precious time is engraved on the annual rings of life with the sunshine.

A good place to visit Penguin Village is the Han Hee Won Museum. The neat and neat Hanok building at the end of the alley is impressive. It is easy to find because it is located near Choi Seung-hyo's house. Opened last year, the Han Hee Won Museum of Art is a great place to enjoy a tea and chat after a picture. You can enjoy wonderful works with the charming atmosphere of Han Hee-won, and the cafe is operated unmanned.

You can spend one night in Yangrim-dong. A hollyhock hill guest house is located on the hillside of Yangrim-dong, where hollyhock trees that are more than 200 years old grow. It was a historic space built by Western missionaries in the 20th century when they founded modern schools and hospitals.

The antique atmosphere of the 70-year-old brick building calms the mind. The fresh green color filled through the window is very beautiful.

Gwangju Yangrim-dong Penguin Village
-7 Cheonbyeonjwa-ro 446beon-gil, Nam-gu, Gwangju

Han Hee Won Museum
-Address: 27-6 Yangchon-gil, Nam-gu, Gwangju
-Inquiries: 062-653-5435

Horangashi Namu Hill Guesthouse
-Address: 20 Jejung-ro 47beon-gil, Nam-gu, Gwangju
-Inquiries: 062-654-0976

http://www.horanggasy.kr/wpage/index.php

Restaurants near
-Geomok Hanjeongsik: Hanjeongsik / 3-6, Cheonbyeonjwa-ro 364beon-gil, Nam-gu / 062-672-0333, 0444
-Daeheung Banjeom: Chinese cuisine / 16 Hoeseo-ro 22beonna-gil, Nam-gu / 062-223-6131 ~ 2
-Hanwoo Flower: Hanwoogui / 67-2 Baekun-ro, Nam-gu, Gwangju / 062-368-9292

Rooms
-Hotel here, Gwangju Baekun Branch: 23-1 Independence Road, Nam-gu / 062-655-7955
-Hotel Arts Center: 2, City Hall-ro 20beon-gil, Seo-gu / 062-600-9999
-Yoro: 16-17 Donggye-ro, Dong-gu / 062-227-8815

※ The above information was updated in June 2019, and may be changed later, so please check before you travel.
※ The information such as text, photos and videos used in this article is copyrighted by Korea Tourism Organization, so unauthorized use of the article is prohibited.