Modern Heritage Route

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1. 1

   Heritage site

   Daegu Modern Cultural Street

   66 Gukchebosang-ro 102-gil, Jung-gu, Daegu

   Stamp: Cheongna Hill Tourist Center

   Daegu’s Modern Cultural Street, the second course in the Jung-gu Alley Tour, is a walking route that neatly links together traces of modern-era history from the port-opening, Korean Empire, and Japanese colonial periods. The route begins at Cheongna Hill, where the American missionaries James E. Adams and Woodbridge E. Johnson settled in 1898 and laid the foundations for Western missionary work, education, and medicine in Daegu. Three elegant ivy-covered Western-style houses, formerly occupied by the families of missionaries William Blair, Oliver Chamness, and Martha Switzer, are now operated as museums of education, medicine, and missionary history, respectively. Below the hill, the route continues on to the 90 Steps, once a hidden passage used during the March First Independence Movement in Daegu. It then visits the monument to “Dongmu Saenggak” (Thinking of a Friend), Korea’s first gagok (lyrical art song) and Daegu Gyesan Cathedral, which began as an early cross-shaped hanok (traditional Korean house) church but was rebuilt in 1902 as a Gothic-style stone and brick building. The course also passes the former home of Seo Sang-don, who led the National Debt Repayment Movement in 1907 and helped raise donations to repay on Korea’s national debt of 13 million won. It moves on to the former home of poet Yi Sang-hwa, who gave voice to the sorrow and indignation of the Korean people in his poem “Does Spring Come Even to Stolen Fields?” and Gyesan Yega, a modern culture experience center. Other stops include Mulberry Alley, which is associated with Du Sachung, a Chinese immigrant who became naturalized in Joseon Korea; Yangnyeongsi, a four-century-old traditional herbal medicine market; the Museum of Korean Medicine; Yeongnam-daero, an old road taken by scholars going off to sit for the civil service examinations during the Joseon Dynasty; the Eco Hanbang Wellness Center; Jongno, once one of Daegu’s busiest downtown streets; the Chinese Elementary School; and Jingolmok Alley, whose name comes from a local dialect word meaning “long.”

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2. 2

   Heritage site

   Incheon Gaehang Nurigil

   89, Sinpo-ro 23beon-gil, Jemulpo-gu, Incheon

   Stamp: Incheon Open Port Museum

   Incheon Gaehang Nurigil is a walking route through the area where modern cultural elements and international influences first flowed into Korea after Incheon opened its port in 1883. As foreign trade expanded following the opening, concessions were opened for Japan, China, and other foreign powers in what is now Incheon Metropolitan City. Modern facilities such as Korea’s first Western-style park, banks, and hotels were built. Walking along Incheon Gaehang Nurigil, visitors can encounter a wide range of modern-era cultural heritage, such as the boundary steps separating the former Chinese and Japanese and to Western-style buildings constructed during the port-opening period. The route brings together Incheon’s past and present through sites such as the Incheon Open Port Museum, which displays modern-era artifacts introduced to Korea through Incheon some 130 years ago; the Incheon Art Platform, former warehouses once used to store goods at Incheon Port that have been reborn as a cultural and arts space; Chinatown, where local Chinese residents found community; and the Jajangmyeon Museum, which is housed in the former building of Gonghwachun, Korea’s first Chinese restaurant.

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3. 3

   Heritage site

   Yangnim History and Culture Village, Jeonnam-Gwangju

   7 Cheonbyeonjwa-ro 446beon-gil and vicinity, Nam-gu, Jeonnam-Gwangju

   Stamp: Yangnim Hub Arts & Travel Center

   Yangnim-dong, which was once called Beodeureum for the way the ridges of Yangnimsan and Sajiksan Mountains extend toward Gwangjucheon Stream, became a center of modernization in Gwangju in 1904 when Western missionaries including Eugene Bell and Clement Owen settled here. Churches, schools, and hospitals were established around this once-quiet area on the slopes of Yangnimsan Mountain outside Gwangju Eupseong Walled Town, creating a foundation for Christian evangelism, modern education, and modern medicine. Today, historic sites such as Speer Girls’ School, Owen Memorial Hall, the Missionary Wilson's House, the missionary cemetery where twenty-two missionaries are buried, and a 400-year-old holly tree remain quietly nestled within the village. Thanks to this beautiful wooded scenery within the city, Yangnim-dong was also once home to some of Gwangju’s wealthiest families. As a result, elegant traditional hanok houses, including the Choi Seung-hyo’s House and the Lee Jang-woo's House, coexist harmoniously with modern Western-style buildings throughout its alleys. The village also served as a cradle for the arts, producing many prominent writers and artists, including the poet Kim Hyeon-seung. Today, a wide range of cultural and artistic programs and projects continue to connect Yangnim’s past with the present.

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4. 4

   Heritage site

   Cheoram Coal-Mine Historic Town, Taebaek

   404 Dongtaebaek-ro, Taebaek-si, Gangwon-do

   Stamp: Cheoram Tourist Information Center

   Cheoram was once the heart of Korea’s coal industry as it powered the country’s industrialization. This coal-mining town bustled with thousands of people each day, including miners and their family members who had gathered here from across the country. Because the village was largely bypassed by later development, its appearance as a coal-mining community from the peak of the industry remains remarkably intact, from the stilted buildings crowding the narrow mountainside to the old shopping streets and alleyway signs. Exhibition spaces throughout Cheoram Coal-Mine Historic Town offer a glimpse into the arduous yet vibrant lives of miners and other local residents through photographs and everyday objects. Nearby Cheoram Station stands the Cheoram Coal Preparation Plant, which was built in 1935 and is still in operation today. As Korea’s only operating anthracite coal preparation facility, it allows visitors to see the industrial process by which mined coal is sorted and transported.

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5. 5

   Heritage site

   Ganggyeong Modern Street, Nonsan

   40-2, Ongnyeobong-ro, Ganggyeong-eup, Nonsan-si, Chungcheongnam-do

   Stamp: Telephone booth at 40-2 Ongnyeobong-ro, Ganggyeong-eup, Nonsan-si (across from Baengnyeongaya Mil-myeon)

   Ganggyeong was recognized in the late Joseon period as one of the nation’s three major markets, along with Wonsan and Daegu. It was an inland commercial port town where goods were transported along the Geumgang River. Long known for its prosperity, the area’s scenery and customs are said to have captivated Yi Jung-hwan, the author of Taengniji (Ecological Guide to Korea), to such a degree that he stayed here while writing the book. During the Japanese colonial period, modern-era culture flourished in Ganggyeong as financial institutions and commercial facilities clustered in the area, including the Ganggyeong Branch of the Hanho Agricultural and Industrial Bank (now the Ganggyeong History Museum). Old bank buildings, shop-houses, and other modern-era structures can still be found around Ongnyeobong Peak. Together with the Ganggyeong Jeotgal Market, famous for its salt-fermented seafood, these sites offer visitors a glimpse into the layered history that have shaped Ganggyeong as a commercial town from the late Joseon to the modern era.

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6. 6

   Heritage site

   Pangyo Modern History and Culture District, Seocheon

   882-8, Jongpan-ro, Pangyo-myeon, Seocheon-gun, Chungcheongnam-do

   Stamp: "The Village Where Time Stopped" Information Center

   The Pangyo Modern History and Culture District in Seocheon vividly traces the historical trajectory of a rural community in the modern and contemporary periods. The village prospered after 1930 when Pangyo Station opened on the Janghang railway line connecting Cheonan and Iksan during the Japanese colonial period, but began to decline after the railway station was relocated in 2008. The district encompasses seven modern-era buildings in Hyeonam-ri: the Former Dongil Rice Mill, Dongil Brewery, Modern Shop-House 1, the Former Samhwa Rice Mill, Modern Shop-House 2, the Former Reserve Forces Headquarters, and the Former Pangyo Theater. A settlement known at the time as Pangyo Village, now named Hyeonam-ri, quickly developed around Pangyo Station after its opening. It flourished to the extent that the township office, market, post office, and police station were all moved here from nearby Pangyo-ri. It was counted among the three major cattle markets in Chungcheongnam-do Province. However, when Pangyo Station was relocated in 2008 as part of a straightening of the Janghang Line, the village was spared from further development. As a result, many of the old buildings constructed between the 1930s and the 1980s, including the theater, Dongil Brewery, and Jangmi Photo Studio (found in a Japanese-style house) remain alongside faded signs. This earned the village the description of “a Village Where Time Stopped”. Visitors can slowly take in the atmosphere of a modern-era commercial village by looking for the old lettering and signs that still remain on the historic buildings.

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7. 7

   Heritage site

   History and Culture District of Gunsan

   240 Haemang-ro and vicinity, Gunsan-si, Jeollabuk-do

   Stamp: Gunsan Modern History Museum

   After the Korean Empire opened its ports in 1899, the area surrounding Gunsan’s inner harbor quickly developed into a modern port city. Foreign settlements were established here around the Former Gunsan Customs House Main Building, and the city became one of the principal ports through which rice harvested from the lowlands of Jeolla-do Province was shipped to Japan as part of the colonial exploitation of Korea. Remnants of the old port facilities still survive today, including the Floating Dock in Gunsan Inner Harbor, which rises and falls with the tides. There are also retaining walls and railway tracks. In the Jangmi-dong area, visitors can find a cluster of modern-era financial and customs-related buildings, such as the red-brick Former Gunsan Customs House Main Building, the Former Gunsan Branch of the Bank of Joseon (now used as the Modern Art Museum), and the Former Gunsan Branch of the Japanese 18th Bank. To the east, in Sinheung-dong, stands a Japanese-style house formerly known as the Hirotsu House. Built in what was an affluent residential neighborhood during the Japanese colonial era, the house remains close to its original form and has been widely used as a filming location, including for The General’s Son. Starting from the Gunsan Modern History Museum, visitors can explore the Modern Architecture Hall, the Modern Art Museum, and Jinpo Marine Theme Park on foot to gain a broader understanding of Gunsan’s history as a modern port city shaped by the opening of its port, colonial exploitation, and industrialization.

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8. 8

   Heritage site

   Somri Modern History and Culture District, Iksan

   5 Inbuk-ro 12-gil, Iksan-si, Jeollabuk-do

   Stamp: Somri Culture Geumgo Vault

   Somri is the old name of Iri (now Iksan) in Jeonbuk State. Once a quiet village with only about ten households, it began to develop into a small market town after Gunsan Port opened to foreign trade in 1899, drawing people traveling between Gunsan and Jeonju. With the establishment of Dong-Iri Station in 1914, the area around Somri Market, near today’s Nambu Market, became a bustling commercial district. In 1919, events connected to the April 4 demonstrations in support of national independence took place at Somri Market. As a site that preserves traces of everyday life during the modern era, the district still retains streets of textile and sewing shops that continued to operate for many years after Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule. Old buildings and signs in its narrow alleys preserve their own distinctive atmosphere. In recognition of its value both for preservation and for current use, the area was designated as National Registered Cultural Heritage in 2019 under the name Somri Modern History and Culture District, Iksan. Somri Culture Geumgo Vault, a stamp station on the Visit Korean Heritage campaign, was built in 1925 as the Iri Financial Cooperative building. After Korea’s liberation, it was used as a registry office and later as a branch office of Jeonbuk Bank, taking part in the local history of finance. Today, it has been transformed into a visitor center and multipurpose cultural space representing the Somri Modern History and Culture District. It offers visitors a glimpse into the long relationship between modern financial facilities and the lives of local residents.

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9. 9

   Heritage site

   Mokpo History and Culture of Modern Times

   6 Yeongsan-ro 29beon-gil, Mokpo-si, Jeonnam-Gwangju

   Stamp: Mokpo Modern History Museum No. 1

   The Mokpo History and Culture of Modern Times preserves the painful memory of colonial exploitation, but it also bears witness to the history of Korean resistance, including dockworkers’ labor struggles, farm tenancy disputes, righteous army activities, and anti-Japanese independence groups. When Mokpo opened its port to international trade in 1897, this neighborhood was designated as a foreign settlement where people from other countries could reside. The coastal area around the Joseon-era military facility known as Mokpojin was reclaimed to create a modern-era urban district. The period’s road grid and many of its modern buildings remain well-preserved to this day. At the time of the opening of Mokpo’s port, the foreign settlement covered a total area of 726,024 square meters (approx. 220,000 pyeong). The core area of this settlement was later designated as Registered Cultural Heritage No. 718. The district is organized around a main road that runs from the neighborhood of a former elementary school for Japanese residents toward Mokpo Station, connecting Yudalsan Mountain, Mokpojin Military Camp, and the wharf. A number of modern buildings and sites are concentrated in this area, including the Former Japanese Consulate (now Mokpo Modern History Museum No. 1), which is designated as a Historic Site; the Former Oriental Development Company building (now Mokpo Modern History Museum No. 2), a symbol of colonial economic exploitation; schools and churches used by Japanese residents; Japanese-style houses; and commercial facilities such as a department store.

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