Seochon Village, the nickname for the western village of Gyeongbokgung Palace. Let's take a look at the map before starting a full-scale Seochon village tour. If you want to know where Seochon really refers to, I would recommend a map of the Seoul Castle that was introduced around Inwangsan (338m), Bukaksan (342m), Naksan (125m), and Namsan (262m). Now, the meaning has faded, but the boundary that separates 'inside and out of the city of Hanyang' is this Seoul Castle. Just as modern people in the 21st century want to live in Gangnam, at that time their ancestors probably didn't want to live in the 'Sadaeseongmun'.

Lee Seong-gye, who founded Joseon, built a city in Hanyang and built a 18km-long castle. It was to protect the royal palace. The walls built along the ridges of Inwangsan, Bukaksan, Naksan, and Namsan, introduced earlier, pierced the gates of Sadaemun and Sasomun, and brought people out. Bukdaemun (Changuimun), Seosomun (Souimunmun), Namsomun, Dongsomun (Hyehwamun), etc. Rumor is the main character. Unfortunately, not all of them remain intact. During the modern Japanese history of turbulent times such as the Japanese occupation and the Korean War, the castle and the gates were damaged. That's why we are now looking at Seodaemun and Seosomun.

Come back to Gyeongbokgung Palace. Can you see the space located to the west of Gyeongbokgung Palace? If you follow the castle that connects Inwangsan and Bukaksan, you will meet Changmun, also called Jahamun. Cheongun-dong and Buam-dong are divided by the boundary of the castle. Cheongun Hyoja, Tongin-dong, Chebu-dong, and Okin-dong, located inside the castle, to Gyeongbokgung Station, so the west side of Gyeongbokgung Palace in the castle is called Seochon Village. I can see the familiar name Bukchon Village. Located in the east of Gyeongbokgung Palace.

I am curious in this passage. If the west side of Gyeongbokgung Palace is Seochon, why would we call the village east of Gyeongbokgung Palace as Bukchon? It was said to be located in the north of Cheonggyecheon. Next, let's postpone the in-depth story about Bukchon, and this time, let's focus on the “Seochon” located north of Sajik Tunnel from Gyeongbokgung Station. By gathering the historical knowledge, you can organize the inside of Bukchon, the village where the experts of Kwon Mun Seora, Naero, lived, and Seochon, where professional workers such as station officials and medical doctors lived, and Namsangol, where the poor ancestors, who were only patterned, lived together.

If you want to enjoy the Seochon tour properly, you can visit the Bukchon Cultural Center. Here is a brochure called 'Walking on the West Side of Gyeongbokgung Palace' produced by Hanyangdoseonggamgam in Seoul. The description and detailed map of Seochon are very helpful for your trip. Here, Seochon is explained.

The west side of Gyeongbokgung Palace, which retains the old alleyways, is located between the east side of Inwangsan and the west side of Gyeongbokgung Palace. Historically, it was a living space for court ladies, medical officers, and middlemen in the Joseon Dynasty, and the residence of King Sejong, Gwon Yul and Lee Hang-bok remain, and you can get a glimpse of the residential culture of various classes. In addition, the foot of Mt. Inwang was famous for its scenic spots, so Kwonmunsega built a villa to enjoy the wind. It is also the place where Okgye Sisa (Baek Il Jang) was opened and the inscription of King Jeongseon's Inwangjesaek and the masterpiece of Chusa Kim Jeong-hee was born. In the modern era, Lee Joong-seop, Yoon Dong-ju, open-air people, and Lee Sang lived and became the pulse of culture and art. Currently, the west side of Gyeongbokgung Palace has a unique atmosphere in harmony with 660 hanoks, old alleys, traditional markets, and small galleries where modern cultural heritage has recently emerged, all of which contain the old look of Seoul.

How is it? If this trip to Seochon is the first road, it is probably a little confusing. That would mean that this old story is piled up in every corner of the alley. Instead of greedy to tell everyone at once, let's take a round. You can always go back and listen to your favorite spaces or stories. The Seochon tour, which can be left at any time, starts when you come out of Gyeongbokgung Station on Subway Line 3. Don't forget to get the brochure at the Bukchon Cultural Center introduced above! The two are a 30-minute walk away.

In the 'West Walk of Gyeongbokgung Palace' brochure, there are 1 Course_Art Trail, 2 Course_Old Memories Road, 3 Course_Alley Tour Road, 4 Course_Hairscape Path. It is easy to walk along the course if you are on a new path. Often there are people who are difficult to find hiding in the alley. The courage to ask and visit is the first condition to properly travel in Seochon.

If you are going out, let's go out of Gyeongbokgung Station Exit 2. The entrance of Sejong Village Geumcheon Bridge is visible. Seochon restaurants including <Chebudong Feast> and <Elephant Naengmyeon> are gathered. If not, go to exit 4. After meeting with Daelim Art Museum, “Tongui-dong Baeksong”, where only the base remains, meets the security inn. Tongui-dong Baeksong comes out when you see the sign on the side of the main street and walk into the alley again. It should be noted that most of the points in Seochon were not located in consideration of the route. Most of them can be met only by continuing to carry the alley.

Gyeongbokgung Palace Seomun The road leading to Cheongwa-daero through Yeongchumun, across the street, Tongui-dong <Security Inn> is visible. At first glance, it is not unusual. It is a ryokan with a signboard but cannot stay. Instead, it is used as a space for artists. Opened in the 1930s, it has been a 'inn' for over 80 years. Poet Seo Jeong-ju also stayed here and made a poetry poet, Poet-Bak. The security inn was a space where artists without money stayed for a long time before heading home. The redevelopment boom almost disappeared, but sometime, thanks to the ball that embraced the artists, the artists joined forces to save him. The security inn, whose name is only an inn, has been operating as a complex cultural space since 2010.

Turn left after the security inn and you will see a big crossroad. If you cross the road in a straight direction at a large crossroad, you will see a signboard called “The Place of King Sejong the Great”. This is why it is called ‘Sejong Village’. Seochon is known as the space of the Chinese people, but most of the people who lived here in the early Joseon Dynasty were those with royal families and kites. The saga that the king lived before ascending is called ‘sleeping’. The exact location cannot be pointed out, but it is assumed that King Sejong's submarine was around this time. This was before Sejong's father, Taejo Lee Bang-won, took the throne.

In the early Joseon Dynasty, it was a town where royal families lived. That is, King Sejong was born here! How much is Seochon's story?

Continue straight <Okin-dong Real Estate> When you enter the alley, you will see <Daeoh Bookstore>, one of the landmarks of Seochon (?). Many people are enthusiastic about this old bookstore. This alley, which is no different from any quiet and secluded residential area, is visited by <Daeoh Bookstore>. The owner of the laundry on the other side says, “There are only a lot of people looking for, but there is not much practical help for the people in the neighborhood.”

Continue to go up in the same direction from <Daeoh Bookstore>, and when you reach Samgeori, enter the main road. Go up in the direction of the soldier's apartment and you will see <Songseokwonteo> to the left. The last empress of the Joseon Dynasty, the late Empress Soon Jeong, Yoon's white-back Yoon Deok-young built a 40-room French-style mansion and called it 'Song Seok-won'. Although it has disappeared now, it is a confusion about what was said at the time when it was said to have built a “saga” larger than the old palace and the royal palace.

Let's go back down and go down the alley and go through <Okin Store> and look for <Park Nosu House>. It is a two-story house built in 1938 for his daughter by Yoon Deok-young, who had a double wall with Lee Wan-yong. Currently, it is not being renovated from Jongno-gu to an art museum. After walking through Yundongju Boarding House and walking to the place where the old Okin Apartment was located, you will reach the valley of Suseong-dong, Inwangsan. Giraffe bridges hundreds of years silently, and the streams flowing beneath them welcome them. What was the scenery unfolding before them who would have stood here someday in the past?

1. Restaurants

Sajik-dong Sajik-dong, Jongno-gu / 070-4045-6331
Feast of Jongno-gu, Jongno-gu / 02-730-5420
Cheonbu-dong, Jongno-gu, Manseon / 02-735-6570

※ The above information was created in April 2013, and may be changed later, so be sure to check it before you travel.
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