ARKO Art Center (아르코미술관) - Area information - Korea travel information

ARKO Art Center (아르코미술관)

1.8Km    2025-06-05

3, Dongsung-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

ARKO Art Center was founded in 1974 as Misulhoegwan in a building of former Deoksu Hospital in Gwanhun-dong, Jongno-gu to offer much-needed exhibition space for artists and arts groups. In 1979, Misulhoegwan moved to its present building, designed by preeminent Korean architect Kim Swoo-geun (1931-1986) and located in Marronnier Park, the former site of Seoul National University. The two neighboring brick buildings accommodating ARKO Art Center and ARKO Arts Theater are the major landmarks of the district of Daehakro.
As more public and private museums and commercial galleries came into the art scene in the 1990s, Misulhoegwan shifted to curating and presenting its own exhibitions. Renamed as Marronnier Art Center in 2002, ARKO Art Center assumed a full-fledged art museum system and played an increasingly prominent role as a public arts organization leading the contemporary art paradigm. When The Korea Culture and Arts Foundation was reborn as Arts Council Korea, Marronnier Art Center became ARKO Art Center named after the abbreviation for Arts Council Korea in 2005.
ARKO Art Center is committed to working as a platform where research, production, exhibitions and the exchange of creative activities grow and develop in connection with one another in addition to having a diversity of programs including thematic exhibitions addressing social agenda and public programs widely promoting various discourses in art.

Beauty Play (뷰티플레이)

1.8Km    2025-11-14

73 Myeongdong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul

Beauty Play is a K-beauty experience center operated by the Korea Cosmetics Industry Institute and supported by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. It offers a wide variety of sample Korean beauty products for testing  as well as diverse beauty experience programs such as makeup touch-up service (choice of base, eyes, or lips), personal color test, and skin evaluation. Visitors can also ask for product recommendation based on their skin type or skincare concerns. Beauty Play also frequently hosts free one-day classes, which are announced online via its official website. It also hosts a variety of sample product giveaway events and the exhibited products get changed every two months, allowing visitors to get familiarized with lesser known quality products as well.

Tapgol Park (탑골공원)

1.8Km    2024-03-04

99, Jong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Tapgol Park is the first modern park in Seoul. Having been the site of the Buddhist temple of Wongaksa Temple since 1467, the land was turned into a park in 1897. The park has a significant presence in Korean history, being the place where the March 1 Independence Movement began in 1919. One can find historical sites that hearken back to the struggle, such as the Palgakjeong Pavilion, the center of the movement; cultural heritage sites such as the Ten-story Stone Pagoda of Wongaksa Temple Site and the Stele for the Construction of Daewongaksa Temple at Wongaksa Temple Site; and monuments such as the independence movement relief plate, murals, the statue of Son Byeong-hee, and the statue of Han Yong-un.

NKDB North Korean Human Rights Exhibition Hall (북한인권전시실)

1.8Km    2025-11-13

393 Samil-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul

The NKDB North Korean Human Rights Exhibition Hall is a permanent exhibition space dedicated to North Korean human rights.  Although it is a small space, it resonates deeply and serves as a "dark tourism" site that records and testifies to the ongoing reality of human rights violations in North Korea. The North Korean Human Rights Information Center (NKDB), which operates this exhibition hall, is the organization that collects and archives the most extensive records of human rights concerning North Korean residents in the world. The testimonies and records presented here represent a living history, a story unfolding in the present, unavailable elsewhere. Through donated North Korean artifacts, including these records, visitors can glimpse the present-day North Korea and encounter artwork by North Korean defectors.

Speed Scandal(과속스캔들)

1.8Km    2025-09-16

서울특별시 종로구 동숭길 47 (동숭동)

Another Today(또 다른 오늘)

1.8Km    2025-12-04

서울특별시 종로구 동숭길 47 (동숭동)

Marronnier Park (마로니에공원)

1.9Km    2021-07-14

104, Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Marronnier Park was given its name due to the marronnier trees, or horse chestnut trees, growing within the area. The location where Seoul National University's College of Liberal Arts & Science and School of Law once stood, it is now a park dedicated to culture and arts open to the public. In addition to a variety of outdoor performances that take place throughout the area, exhibitions and cultural centers create a romantic atmosphere unique to the park.

Naksan Park (낙산공원)

1.9Km    2025-12-16

41 Naksan-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Naksan Mountain (alt. 125 meters) is one of the four inner mountains of Seoul, and can be accessed by following the road leading to the mountain entrance from Daehangno and Dongdaemun. It was also called Naktasan Mountain, which can be translated to Camel Mountain, because the terrain resembled a camel's back. It also had another name, Taraksan Mountain, “tarak” meaning fermented milk, because there was a royal ranch in the area that supplied milk to the palace. After the 1960s, the original appearance of Naksan Mountain disappeared due to apartments and dense housing, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government established a restoration plan. As part of this plan, a park project was carried out, and it opened Naksan Park in July 2002. Currently, Naksan Park has established itself as a resting place for citizens to feel the beautiful atmosphere of Hanyangdoseong, or the Seoul City Wall, and green forests. It has gained much popularity as a place for seeing the most beautiful night view in Seoul.

◎ Travel Information to Discover Hallyu’s Charm - Netflix Series "KPop Demon Hunters (2025)"
The fortress walls at Naksan Park served as the backdrop for Rumi and Jinu’s conversation in the Netflix series "KPop Demon Hunters." The view of the walls and the cityscape beyond adds to the unique atmosphere of the show, and visiting Naksan Park in person offers an expansive and memorable view of Seoul’s city center.

Ikseon-dong Hanok Street (익선동 한옥거리)

1.9Km    2025-10-27

Ikseon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Ikseon-dong is a place where the harmony of alleys and hanok houses exudes beautiful charm and is a must-visit spot for tourists of all ages and genders. It is also an area that connects the younger and older generations.

Seoul National University Hospital (서울대학교병원)

1.9Km    2025-10-23

101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Seoul National University Hospital, a national central hospital that has led Korean medicine for over 130 years, is a top-tier hospital equipped with world-class medical professionals and cutting-edge systems. For 25 consecutive years, it has ranked first in brand power in the hospital sector. The hospital is renowned for its cancer research, the most comprehensive pediatric care in the country, and treatments for rare and intractable diseases. Through patient-centered, personalized services, it has established itself as a trusted healthcare institution.