Gwangju Sajik Park (사직공원 (광주)) - Area information - Korea travel information

Gwangju Sajik Park (사직공원 (광주))

Gwangju Sajik Park (사직공원 (광주))

.0M    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.

Sajik Forest of Light (사직 빛의 숲)

Sajik Forest of Light (사직 빛의 숲)

69.0M    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.

Yangnim Art Center (양림미술관)

Yangnim Art Center (양림미술관)

107.1M    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.

Yangnim-dong Missionary Cemetery (양림동 선교사 묘지)

Yangnim-dong Missionary Cemetery (양림동 선교사 묘지)

117.6M    2021-05-28

77, Jejung-ro, Nam-gu, Gwangju
+82-62-607-2333

The Yangnim-dong Missionary Cemetery is the final resting place of 23 missionaries who brought Christianity to Gwangju and led the movement to free the nation from under Japanese colonial rule. Yangnim-dong in Gwangju Metropolitan City was the main area in which Priest Bae Yu-ji and Dr. Clement Owen carried out their work as the first missionaries to Jeollanam-do.


Located nearby is a monument dedicated to Priest Bae Yu-ji and the Owen Memorial Building, built in honor of Dr. Owen and his grandfather. Both memorials are cultural assets and particularly prized by locals of the Christian faith.

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

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

144.4M    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. 

House of Choi Seung-hyo (최승효가옥)

House of Choi Seung-hyo (최승효가옥)

152.9M    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.

Han Hee-won Art Museum (한희원미술관)

174.8M    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.

Lee Jang-woo's House (이장우 가옥)

Lee Jang-woo's House (이장우 가옥)

192.4M    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.

Missionary Wilson's House (우일선 선교사 사택)

Missionary Wilson's House (우일선 선교사 사택)

329.7M    2024-12-04

20 Jejung-ro 47beon-gil, Nam-gu, Gwangju
+82-62-607-2333

Missionary Wilson’s House is a two-story brick building that sits upon the eastern foothills of Yangnimsan Mountain. Known as the oldest surviving Western-style house in Gwangju, the house is an icon of modern culture and architecture in Korea. The house was built by an American missionary named Wilson in the 1920s (exact date unknown) and was the home of the Wilson family while they stayed in Korea. When the family completed their work in Korea, they sold the house for a very cheap price with the stipulation that the house continued to be used for missionary purposes. The house fell into the possession of the General Assembly of Chonnam Presbyterian Church of Korea in 1986 and now serves as the home office for the Presbyterian Church of Korea.

The square-shaped house consists of a living room, a family room, a kitchen, and a bathroom (1F), several bedrooms (2F), and storage areas and a boiler room (B1). The fact that the entrance of the house faces east is said to be a result of the prevailing architectural culture of Korea at that time. A Netherland-style house built with 55-milimeter thick, gray bricks, the first and second stories are delineated on the exterior with an eye-catching band of bricks.

◎ Travel information to meet Hallyu’s charm - TV series "Hymn of Death"
Here, Woo-jin (played by Lee Jong Suk), Sim-deok (played by Shin Hye-sun), and their troupe rehearsed for their play in "Hymn of Death." The Western-style building, framed by a lush forest backdrop, offers an exotic and picturesque setting.

Arie-ne guesthouse (아리네 게스트하우스)

Arie-ne guesthouse (아리네 게스트하우스)

343.1M    2024-12-13

6 , Cheonbyeonjwa-ro 428beon-gil, Nam-gu, Gwangju
+82-10-2104-8899

Ariene Guesthouse is an integrated cultural platform located in Yangrim-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju. The accomodation is located in the downtown area of Gwangju, making it both easily accessible and affordable. On the first basement floor, there is Yanglim Culture Hall, a lounge cafe on the first floor, and a rooftop party room on the fourth floor. The guesthouse has nine rooms on the second and third floors, including double rooms, twin rooms, ondol rooms, and separate dormitory rooms for men and women. Each room is equipped with a bathroom for guests' convenience, and breakfast is provided at no charge. A fee is charged for laundry services. There are modern cultural and historic sites nearby.