Insa-dong Antique Art Street (인사동 고미술거리) - Area information - Korea travel information

Insa-dong Antique Art Street (인사동 고미술거리)

Insa-dong Antique Art Street (인사동 고미술거리)

1.3Km    2025-03-16

29 Insadong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-2-732-2235

As of today, there are approximately 70 shops in the Insa-dong area that sell antique arts. Some of the products they sell include antique artworks, porcelains, woodcrafts, and metalwork. Visitors may even find rare and valuable products such as earthenware from the Silla period or white porcelain used in the Joseon dynasty. Each shop is a specialty store, authorized to sell product types that are of their expertise, ranging from antique furniture and traditional artworks to handcrafted items.

Hanji House (한지가헌)

Hanji House (한지가헌)

1.3Km    2025-07-25

31-9 Bukchon-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Hanji House was founded to pass on the cultural heritage of hanji, traditional Korean paper, as well as to promote its excellence and uses in everyday life. The center is operated by Korea Craft & Design Foundation, and offers a variety of programs that consist of exhibitions, hands-on activities, classes, and marketing hanji products. On the first floor is Hanji Showroom, where various exhibitions take place to showcase hanji of the past and the present. The basement floor comprises Hanji Open Archive, Hanji Print Studio, and Hanji Workroom, where most of the hands-on activities and classes are held. Hanji House also offers a docent program for exploring the whole area.

Dongnimmun Gate (독립문)

1.3Km    2022-12-15

251, Tongil-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul

Dongnimmun stands at the location originally known as Yeongeun, where envoys were once treated. When a Chinese envoy visited, the King would go out through this door to greet. In 1898, to announce the independence from Japan, Dongnimun was constructed with the fund collected by the citizens. The traces of the past still remain on Dongnimmun with two pillars in front of Dongnimmun being the remains of Yeongeunmun.

The Arc de Triomphe in France can be recalled in comparison to Dongnimmun. Dongnimmun was built using granite with a passageway x_height of 14.28 meters. On the top it is written ‘Dongnimmun’ in Korean with the national flag drawn on each side. On the inner-left side there are stone stairs leading to the attic. The national flower Mugunghwa are planted around Dongnimmun. Now it is surrounded by roads and it is eye-catching to view when passing by.

Seodaemun Prison History Museum (서대문형무소역사관)

1.4Km    2024-12-02

251 Tongil-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul

Seodaemun Prison was built under the Japanese administration to imprison independence movement activists. It first opened on October 21, 1908 under the name Gyeongseong Prison. Eventually, so many activists were imprisoned that the building had to be expanded. At that time, the name changed to Seodaemun Prison on September 3, 1912. Eighty years later, the prison was turned into Seodaemun Independence Park on August 15, 1992 to commemorate the Korean patriots who were tortured in prison, giving their lives for freedom. Of the many buildings, only seven were preserved for their historical significance, among which three prison buildings and the execution site were designated as a Historic Site. In 1998, the park underwent another transformation into today's Seodaemun Prison History Hall to educate the public on the importance of Korea's independence and the sacrifices of those who fought to achieve it.

La:ppland [Tax Refund Shop] (라플란드)

1.4Km    2024-04-16

Bldg. Ga. 1F, 83, Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

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Baek In-je House (백인제가옥)

Baek In-je House (백인제가옥)

1.4Km    2025-10-24

16 Bukchon-ro 7-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-2-724-0200

Baek In-je House, located in Bukchon Hanok Village, is a hanok built during the Japanese administration period that portrays modern hanok features. The structure consists of a main room offering a good view of the whole village, spacious bedrooms, a large garden, and annex buildings. As it maintains the beauty of a traditional hanok while incorporating the modern trend of its time, Baek In-je House is considered to be highly valuable in means of both architecture and history, representing the Bukchon Hanok Village together with Yun Bo-seon House.

Baek In-je House was built from black pine, which was first introduced in Seoul during the Gyeongseong Expo in 1907, distinguishing itself from other upper-class houses of its time. Unlike other traditional hanok designs that separate the main building from the other rooms, Baek In-je House connects the two with a hallway, allowing convenient access between the two structures. The house also consists of a Japanese-style hallway and floor mat rooms, reflecting the interior trends of that period. Baek In-je House is also unique in that the main room is partially built as a two-story structure, a style that was never seen in any traditional hanok built during the Joseon period.

Ipamnamu - Insa Branch [Tax Refund Shop] (이팝나무 인사)

Ipamnamu - Insa Branch [Tax Refund Shop] (이팝나무 인사)

1.4Km    2024-04-18

4, Insadong 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

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Isae - Insa Branch (No. 2) [Tax Refund Shop] (이새 인사2호)

1.4Km    2024-04-18

30-1, Insadong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

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PKM Gallery (PKM갤러리)

PKM Gallery (PKM갤러리)

1.4Km    2024-03-18

40 Samcheong-ro 7-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

PKM Gallery, now providing 397 square meters of exhibition space, includes a main building with a maximum x_height of 5.5 meters comprising two upper stories and a two-story basement. PKM+, an annex built in 2018, has one upper story and a basement floor and is equipped with a boutique-like gallery space.
The gallery not only exhibits the works of leading figures in Korean contemporary art, but has also succeeded in introducing renowned international artists to the Korean audience. As an incubator for emerging young artists, PKM Gallery has been organizing exhibitions to encourage their growth as leading artists of the next generation. PKM gallery, the first among the Korean galleries invited to participate in the Frieze Art Fair in 2004, played a major role in advancing Korean contemporary art to the global art market.

Seoul Gongyesa [Tax Refund Shop] (서울공예사)

Seoul Gongyesa [Tax Refund Shop] (서울공예사)

1.4Km    2024-04-16

1F, 27-1, Insadong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

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