Owen Memorial Hall (오웬기념각) - Area information - Korea travel information

Owen Memorial Hall (오웬기념각)

Owen Memorial Hall (오웬기념각)

17.6Km    2024-11-12

6 Baekseo-ro 70beon-gil, Nam-gu, Gwangju
+82-62-650-7647

The Owen Monument and Memorial Hall is located inside the Christian College of Nursing. The monument was erected in 1914 in memory of missionary Clement Owen who, together with Priest Bae Yoo-ji, was the first missionary to come to Jeollanam-do. The monument was built using the 4,200 dollars collected by Owen’s relatives in the USA after Owen died as a martyr in Gwangju.

Clement Owen came to Yangnim-dong, Gwangju in the 1900s and served as a missionary and medical volunteer with his wife, who was a nurse, before dying of exhaustion and overwork in 1909. Owen had hoped to build a memorial hospital in honor of his grandfather, but died before his plan was materialized. The plaque hanging in the hall honors both men in English and Chinese, reading, “In Memory of William L. and Clement C. Owen.”

A Western-style building with a total footage of around 1,435 meters squared (including the annex building), the monument is said to have been used as chapel and assembly room. Today, the building serves as the auditorium of the Christian College of Nursing. The white, two-story building features a lectern in one corner, with two columns of pews facing the lectern. The second floor balcony stretches along the two walls opposite the lectern.

◎ Travel information to meet Hallyu’s charm – movie “Love, Lies,”
In the film, So-yul and Yeon-hee come here to see the renowned singer Lee Nan-young perform. Owen Memorial Hall has a history as a venue for Christian gatherings, lectures, concerts, graduation ceremonies, and various cultural events in the region. Today, it continues to serve as a space for both religious and cultural gatherings.

Yangnim Art Center (양림미술관)

Yangnim Art Center (양림미술관)

17.6Km    2024-11-20

70 Jejung-ro, Nam-gu, Gwangju

Yangnim Art Center takes its name from its location in Yangnim-dong, the center of modern history and culture. Designed in hanok style, the building features exhibition rooms on each floor, offering both artists and visitors a creative space to connect and immerse themselves in the art.

Obang Choi Heung-jong Memorial Hall (오방 최흥종 기념관)

Obang Choi Heung-jong Memorial Hall (오방 최흥종 기념관)

17.6Km    2024-12-17

64 Jejung-ro, Nam-gu, Gwangju

Obang Choi Heung-jong Memorial Hall is dedicated to Rev. Obang Choi Heung-jong who was also a Korean independence fighter and a social activist. His lifetime of sacrificing for others while improving the Gwangju neighborhood made him a true hero. Visitors to the memorial hall can deeply understand the life that Obang Choi Hueng-jong lead. 

Gwangju Sajik Park (사직공원 (광주))

Gwangju Sajik Park (사직공원 (광주))

17.6Km    2022-08-05

49, Sajik-gil, Nam-gu, Gwangju
+82-62-652-3236

Sajik Park is located at the previous site of Sajikdan Altar, a ritual site to pray for peace and prosperity during the Three Kingdoms Era. In the 1960s, the site was home to Sajik Zoo, with the ritual being abandoned in 1894 and the altar in disrepair. However, in 1991, it was decided to move the zoo to another location and begin restoring the site. It was reopened in April 1994, 100 years after the last ritual.

Sajik Park is landscaped with various trees and flower beds. The park blooms pink and white with cherry blossoms annually in mid-April. During this time, the municipality of Gwangju installs lighting in the trees for citizens to enjoy the blossoms late into the night. The park has become established as a favorite rest area for Gwangju citizens. The park houses several attractions including Gwangju Broadcast Station (KBS), Memorial Tower for Policemen, Yangpajeong Pavilion, and Palgakjeong Pavilion overlooking downtown Gwangju.

Parc Sajik (Gwangju) (사직공원 - 광주)

17.6Km    2025-07-01

Gwangju-Si Nam-Gu, Sajik-Gil 49

Le parc Sajik a l’avantage d’être bien ammenagé, entre une variété d’arbres et de nombreux lits de fleurs. Chaque année autour du 15 avril, les cerisiers sont en fleurs, créant un spectacle splendide. Durant cette periode, la municipalité de Gwangju fait installer des lumières sur les arbres afin que les habitants puissant profiter du spectacle jusqu’à tard dans la nuit. Le parc est considéré comme l’endroit favori des habitants de Gwangju pour se reposer.
Le parc accueille plusieurs attractions, incluant un mémorial pour les héros nationaux, la station de TV et de radio de Gwangju (KBS), une tour en mémoire des policiers, le pavillon Yeonpajeong, la station de tir Gwandeokjeong ainsi que le pavillon Palgakjeong qui offre un point de vue sur le centre ville de Gwangju. Les variétés d’arbres, d’arbustes et de fleurs offrent une atmosphère accueillante pour chaque sortie.

Sajik Forest of Light (사직 빛의 숲)

Sajik Forest of Light (사직 빛의 숲)

17.6Km    2024-12-11

49 Sajik-gil, Nam-gu, Gwangju

Located within Sajik Park, the Forest of Light is a popular night view spot with a fantastic media art that incorporates historical themes of Gwangju. The space features a combination of lighting, video, and music to create multimedia contents, offering a variety of experiences and attractions through interactive art that responds to people's movements. The observation tower hosts a light show, and visitors can enjoy video contents through an AR telescope.

Lee Jang-woo's House (이장우 가옥)

Lee Jang-woo's House (이장우 가옥)

17.7Km    2024-12-04

21 Yangchon-gil, Nam-gu, Gwangju
+82-62-651-9020

Designated the first Gwangju Folk Material on March 20, 1989, Lee Jang-woo's House is an upper-class, tile-roofed house with a gate, storeroom, servants’ quarters, detached building, and main building. The building is estimated to have been constructed in 1899 and is overall a sturdy example of Korean architecture, well-preserved in its original state. The L-shaped main hall of the historic building is rather large and consists of (left to right) a wooden verandah, a small room, a hall, the main room, a kitchen, and another small room. The room doors are double doors with a sliding door on the inside and a hinged door on the outside. The hall also has partitions that can be hung up as necessary.

◎ Travel information to meet Hallyu’s charm - movie "Meet the In-Laws"
This hanok served as Hyeon-joon’s (played by Song Sae-byeok) family home in Jeolla-do in the movie "Meet the In-Laws." With its well-preserved architecture and traditional Korean garden, it captures the elegance and charm of early modern Korea.

Han Hee-won Art Museum (한희원미술관)

17.7Km    2023-01-25

27-6, Yangchon-gil, Nam-gu, Gwangju
+82-62-653-5435

Han Hee-won Art Museum is a small hanok art museum in the back alley of Yangnim-dong.
Painter Han Hee-won grew up in Yangnim-dong, where he was influenced as a painter. In July 2015, he purchased a small hanok between the House of Yi Jang-u and the House of Choe Seunghyo and transformed it into an art museum to preserve and show the spirit of love, comfort, and art in his hometown, Yangnim-dong. An art museum with a low threshold approaching citizens with a humble mind, Han Hee-won Art Museum is open to anyone. Feel free to visit, appreciate the paintings, and be comforted through art.

House of Choi Seung-hyo (최승효가옥)

House of Choi Seung-hyo (최승효가옥)

17.7Km    2023-03-08

29-4, Yangchon-gil, Nam-gu, Gwangju
+82-62-607-2332

The House of Choi Seung-hyo is a traditional residential building located on the southeastern slopes of Yangnimsan Mountain. The rectangular building is open to the east, has 8 kan (the space between two pillars) in the front and 4 kan to the sides, and is graced by a traditional hipped and gabled roof. Since the building was constructed in the 1920s, it offers a valuable glimpse into the architectural style of Korean houses at the end of the Japanese colonial period. Choi Sang-hyeon was an activist who offered his attic as a place of refuge for other activists.

Yangnim-dong Penguin Village Craft Street (양림동 펭귄마을공예거리)

17.7Km    2024-12-06

20-13 Ogiwon-gil, Nam-gu, Gwangju

Yangnim-dong Penguin Village Craft Street is a narrow alleyway located behind the Yangnim-dong Community Center. The village, named because of the way the elderly residents appear to waddle like penguins, has become an exhibition space of life in the 70s and 80s. Villagers cleaned up empty houses that had been burnt down and left unattended in the past, brought discarded items, and began displaying them on the village walls. "Let's be thankful for living at that time" was engraved on the village wall. It also has historical culture, such as the House of Choe Seunghyo, the House of Missionary Uilsa, and Owen Memorial Hall. The Penguin Jumak in the middle of the village was the residents' gathering place, selling small but necessary items. Various workshops, such as leather workshops, textile workshops, and carpentry workshops, are located on Craft Street, so you can purchase pretty crafts or experience upcycling crafts with a retro vibe in which the historical and the modern coexist.