Dongs of Seoul

After spending the morning (and into the early afternoon) of my 1st day in Seoul at the grand Gyeongbokgung palace complex, it was time to explore a couple dongs. (“Dong” by the way, is the Korean term for an officially designated neighborhood.)

Insa-dong

Insa-dong is a very popular neighborhood for sightseers. It has a well deserved reputation as being a place having many interesting things to see. And it just took an easy walk from Gyeongbokgung to get there.

Unhyeongung

I previously said that Seoul has 5 grand palaces. Unhyeongung is not one of them! It’s more of a minor palace–built for a prince, rather than a king.

Inside one of the royal halls in Unhyeongung.

Another royal hall at Unhyeongung. The obvious difference between the architecture here and at the grand palaces is the lack of brilliant color. Otherwise, the structures are similar. (I don’t know if it’s meant to be that way or if the paint wasn’t restored.)

Unhyeongung was the site of Korea’s biggest royal wedding in 1866. The king and queen were in traditional Korean costume on the wedding day, as depicted here.

Tagpol Park

Son Byeong-hui welcomes you to Tapgol Park. Son was an activist against Korean corruption and later, against the Japanese occupation.

Tapgol Park is a small green space in Insa-dong. Despite its small size, it’s jam-packed with important sites. Perhaps most importantly, it was the site where the March 1st Movement began. On March 1, 1919, 9 years into the Japanese occupation, independence activists read the Korean Declaration of Independence at a nearby restaurant. 1 of the activists then read it to the assembled crowd at Tapgol Park. This

sparked a nationwide movement of resistance against the Japanese. As you might imagine, the rebellion was brutally suppressed by the Imperial Japanese.

A statue of 1 of the activists who led the March 1st Movement against Japanese occupation.

History at Tapgol Park goes back much further than the 20th century. The Monument of Wongaksa was built in 1472 to commemorate the founding of a Buddhist temple that once stood on the park site. The monument is Korea’s National Treasure #3.

Tapgol Park’s most important feature is South Korea’s National Treasure #2. It’s the 10-story Wongaksa Pagoda, that was part of Wongaksa temple. The marble pagoda was built in 1467. The pagoda is so precious, it’s kept under glass.

One of the bas-reliefs in Tapgol Park depicting scenes from the March 1st Movement. Here the Korean people are rising up against the Imperial Japanese occupiers.

This bas-relief depicts the brutal crackdown of the Imperial Japanese against Korean independence activists.

As I left Tapgol Park, this cheery band in traditional costume came marching down the street.

Jogyesa

Jogyesa is 1 of Korea’s most important Buddhist temples.

Worshiping in the main hall at Jogyesa with the giant Buddhist triad.

Ujeongchongguk, Korea’s 1st post office, is next to Jogyesa.

Ssamziegil

These young ladies were happy to be hawking whatever that store was selling.

Insa-dong isn’t just filled with historical sites. It’s also packed with shopping.

And they were not bashful about selling!

The scene inside extremely lively Ssamziegil. Instead of having stairs, Ssamziegil has a continuous ramp that wraps around the interior.

Ssamziegil, a mini-mall, is the frenzied peak of shopping in Insa-dong.

On the top floor of Ssamziegil is the Wall of Love, where young lovers leave romantic souvenirs. You can see it’s quite popular.

A view of very busy Ssamziegil from the top.

Buam-dong

From Insa-dong, I took a bus up into the hills above Gyeongbokgung to the Buam-dong neighbhorhood. My travel guidebook said that Buam-dong was one of the best places to see in Seoul. I became skeptical when I couldn’t find any other resource on the internet that agreed. Sure enough, it was a little boring. But I got some good pictures. And that’s all that matters, right? Right!

Jahamun was the northwest gate of the 8 gates in what was the fortress wall that surrounded Seoul, built in 1896.

Buam-dong is outside of what was the fortress wall around Seoul. So in the old days, you’d have to pass through Jahamun, also known as Changuimun, to enter Seoul from the northwest.