EAT>
All kinds of different culinary traditions are available outside these venues in downtown Seoul.

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Major shopping districts like Jongno and Insa-dong are just a stone’s throw away.

SEE>
Changdeokgung Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Also, the Jongmyo Shrine will feature jongmyo jeryeak, the music of the Jongmyo royal ancestral ritual, which is registered with UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

FYI>
www.gung.or.kr/g, www.ktpaf.org

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Gyeongbokgung Palace 경복궁 | Changdeokgung Palace 창덕궁 | Deoksugung Palace 덕수궁 | Jongmyo Shrine 종묘

Gwanghwamun Gate, the historic entryway to Gyeongbokgung Palace. The silhouette of Mt. Inwangsan on the horizon makes the gate all the more beautiful. Photo by Robert Koehler.

‘MAPPING’ SEOUL IN THE 1930s

Colonial cartography offers fascinating insights into a dark period in the capital’s history

Written by Robert J. Fouser 
Images courtesy of author

Historians know the power of maps as research tools. They know that maps, like other types of historical documentation, are accurate not in the absolute, but as reflections of society at a given point in time. Maps tell how space was organized in the past and how people defined it, giving information that helps develop, along with many other sources, the “story of the past.”

Maps of Seoul in the 20th century document the tremendous changes the city experienced in those 100 years. Amid the torrid climate of change, two periods stand out: the 1930s and the 1970s. These two decades brought rapid changes in maps, as city planners responded to surging population growth that began in the previous decades. From 1920 to 1940, the population jumped from 253,000 to 1,110,000; from 1960 to 1980, it jumped from 2,445,000 to 8,364,000. This explosive growth overwhelmed the city infrastructure at both times.

Colonial administration

Of the two periods, the 1930s are particularly interesting because it brought great change to the historic heart of Seoul, producing the urban paradigm that lasted until the 1970s when the Gangnam area was developed based on apartments and wide roads. Decisions about planning in the 1930s, of course, were in the hands of Japanese colonial rulers who looked to administrative centers in Japan for ideas. By 1940, Seoul, or Gyeongseong (Keijo in Japanese), as they called it, was the fifth largest city in Imperial Japan, ranking between Kyoto and Yokohama.

A map printed from the early 1930s says much about Seoul after a decade of growth in the 1920s. Areas of grey dots and the largely intact Seoul Wall are most noticeable. The grey dots indicate urban areas and fill most of the area inside the wall, but also expand to the south and west, areas that developed after the Japanese destroyed the city wall. Itaewon was the center of the Japanese military and was secluded from the rest of the city by Mt. Namsan and the hills in what are now Hannam-dong and Yaksu-dong.

Dissolving social classes

Of particular interest are the white spaces in the Bukchon area. Anguk-dong and areas closer to Gyeongbokgung Palace were dense, but Gahoe-dong and Gye-dong, popular tourist spots today, were largely white space. By contrast, Seochon, the area on the other side of the palace, was more densely developed. The streetcar line running along the west side of the palace and larger areas of flat land help explain the difference at this time.

A map printed in the late 1930s shows many of the changes that took place in that decade. Rapid development of Gahoe-dong and Gye-dong occurred in the mid-1930s and this map show more streets and alleys. The collapse of Joseon society after Japanese colonial rule began in 1910 gradually impoverished the aristocratic families that had lived in Bukchon. By the 1930s, they were forced to sell their large estates, which were divided into smaller lots for the densely packed rows of Koreanstyle city houses, or “city hanok.”

Increasing urban spread and Japanization

By the late 1930s, the city had filled in the area inside the walls and had spread well beyond them. In the earlier map, Daehak-ro and Hyehwa-dong were white space, except for Gyeongseong Imperial University, the forerunner of Seoul National University. By the end of the decade, the area was full of roads and alleys. Part of the city wall near Dongdaemun had been destroyed, and two street car lines expanded east. Earlier growth in Yongsan had spread to Mapo, and the map showed Noryangjin, one of the first areas on the south side of the Han River to be urbanized. Noryangjin and Yeongdeungpo, the first primary industrial areas of Seoul, were incorporated into the city in 1936 (Yeouido was a swamp and not shown on most maps).

The growth of Seoul in the 1930s also reflects the weight of efforts to “Japanize” Ko r e a . The earlier map gave local neighborhood names for areas in northern half of the city in Korean (“dong”) and in Japanese (“cho”) for areas in the southern half. This reflects the pattern of settlement that emerged during the colonial period in which Japanese dominated the southern half of the city and Koreans the northern half. In the map from the late 1930s, all of the neighborhoods are given in Japanese, which reflects the “Japanization” of the city both as policy and as demographics.

Reading maps of Seoul in the 1930s shows a city changing from a compact administrative center to a large metropolis with a diverse economy. These maps also show the extent of colonial oppression and stand as reminders of the struggle for ownership of history that continues in Korea to this day.

National Museum of Korean Contemporary History | 대한민국역사박물관

This latest addition to Korea’s national museum system pays tribute to the country’s modern history, spanning from the opening of Korea in 1876 to the present day. To be sure, it’s a dramatic history that includes the country’s colonization and independence struggle, the foundation of the Republic of Korea, the Korean War, and the country’s amazing post-war economic and political development. The museum itself is housed in the greatly remodeled old headquarters of the Ministry of Culture in Gwanghwamun, just a stone’s throw away from historic Gyeongbokgung Palace.

EAT>
The Korean eateries of Insa-dong are just a short walk away. One of this writer’s favorite restaurants, however, is Gwanghwamunjip 광화문집 (T. 02-739-7737), located across the street behind the Sejong Center of the Performing Arts. It might not look like much, but it’s got some of the best kimchijjigae (kimchi stew, 김치찌개) in the city.

BUY>
Lots of Korean gift stores and antique shops are in nearby Insa-dong. You can also pick up some smartphones and tablets just down the street at KT’s Olleh Square.

SEE>
The old changing of the guard ceremony is reenacted in front of nearby Gyeongbokgung Palace six times a day on the hour, 10am to 3pm.

FYI>
T. 02-3703-9200, www.much.go.kr
Cost: Free
(82-1 Jejong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul | 서울시 종로구 세종로 82-1)

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Gwanghwamun Station 광화문역 (Line 5), Exit 2

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© Seoul Selection

Museums in Gwanghwamun

A crash course in Korean history

Written by Robert J. Fouser

Photographed by Robert Koehler

The Gwanghwamun area in the heart of Seoul has been in the news lately. Recently, a committee of scholars stirred a controversy by recommending that the name on the Gwanghwamun Gate be written in Chinese characters instead of hangeul, the indigenous writing system that Koreans are passionately proud of.

The debate highlights the symbolic importance of Gwanghwamun Gate to the Gyeongbokgung Palace that overlooks the plaza in front of it. The gate was fi rst built in 1395, but has been rebuilt and moved a number of times since. The current structure dates from 2010 and is a faithful reconstruction of the original 1395 gate. The view of the gate and Mt. Bugaksan behind it is one of the most picture-perfect in Korea.

But the Gwanghwamun area is more than just a prelude to Gyeongbokgung Palace. In recent years, the area has grown into the densest collection of museums in Korea. A thorough visit of all the museums and galleries in the area would take several days. A one-day tour of the museums and galleries along Gwanghwamun Plaza alone offers a fascinating look at the rise and fall of the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910) and the spectacular rise of the Republic of Korea after the Japanese colonial period (1910–1945) and the Korean War (1950–1953).

© Seoul Selection

A good place to begin exploring Gwanghwamun is the Ilmin Museum of Art (Tue–Sun, 11am–7pm, www.ilmin.org) in the original Dong-A Ilbo Building near the entrance to Cheonggyecheon Stream. Founded in 1920, the Dong-A Ilbo is one of Korea’s largest and oldest newspapers. The current exhibition entitled Galapagos shows works by six noted contemporary artists and runs until February 17th.

After visiting the museum, walk toward Gwanghwamun Plaza, stopping by the Memorial Monument to Emperor Gojong on the way. King Gojong, who later declared himself emperor in 1897 in a belated attempt to strengthen the Joseon state, came to the throne in 1863, and the monument commemorates the 40th anniversary of his ascension. The plaza offers an interesting look at the varied forms of architecture from the 1960s to the present, which together tell the story of Korea’s stunning economic growth during that period.

© Seoul Selection

Underneath the middle section of the plaza are exhibitions on the life and work of two of the most important historical figures in Korean history: King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sunsin. The exhibition on King Sejong, the revered king who invented hangeul, offers an excellent opportunity to learn about the writing system and the life of this amazing king. The exhibitions are open Tuesday through Sunday, 10:30am–10:30pm (final admission at 10pm, http://m.sejongstory.or.kr/eng).

© Seoul Selection

Back on the surface, walk across the street and visit Hangeul Maruji Park, a small city park dedicated to hangeul next to the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. The Sejong Center itself is architecturally interesting and, apart from its wide range of music and theater events, has several galleries and restaurants.

At this point, the cold of winter makes two important museums look inviting. The new National Museum of Korean Contemporary History (Tue– Sun, 9am–6pm, final admission at 5pm, www.much.go.kr/en/mainen.do) is located in one of two buildings built in the early 1960s (the other is the US Embassy), when Korea’s economic growth was just beginning. The museum focuses on the modern history of the Republic of Korea, from the formation of the provisional government in the dark years of Japanese colonial rule to the present.

After seeing the museum, walk to the north end of the plaza and take a closer look at Gwanghwamun Gate. To the left of the gate is the National Palace Museum of Korea (Tue–Fri, 9am–6pm; Sat–Sun, 9am–7pm [final admission one hour before closing], www.gogung.go.kr/fgn/jsp/en/html/ index.jsp), which focuses on the history of court life during the Joseon period and offers insight into the history that preceded the tumultuous 20th century.

All the museums have cafés that offer a nice place for lunch or a break and shops for gifts. Gogungddurak café in the National Palace Museum is noted for its innovative fusion offerings and traditional Korean tea, and its gift shop contains high quality Korean crafts.

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