Choi Sunu House (최순우 옛집) - Area information - Korea travel information

Choi Sunu House (최순우 옛집)

Choi Sunu House (최순우 옛집)

8.5Km    2021-12-21

9, Seongbuk-ro 15-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul
+82-2-3675-3401

The Choi Sunu House is the old residence of Hyegok Choi Sunu (1916-1984), who lived in this house from 1976 until the day he passed away. The house is designated as Korea’s Registered Cultural Property. Choi Sunu was a leading art historian who served as the director of the National Museum of Korea. He devoted his life to rediscovering the beauty of Korean art and made many academic accomplishments in the areas of Korean ceramics, traditional woodcraft, and the history of painting.
The house has been open to the public as the Hyegok Choi Sunu Memorial Hall since 2004. The memorial hall displays Choi Sunu’s relics as a permanent exhibition and holds special exhibitions in the fall as well as cultural programs every spring and fall.

Samcheong-dong Street (삼청동길)

8.5Km    2025-01-22

107 Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

It is said that Samcheong-dong was named from the story about the three "cheong" (Chinese character meaning clean) of the area, namely the mountain, water, and people. Another theory is that the origin of the region's name came from Samcheongjeon Hall where three tablets called "Taecheong," "Sangcheong," and "Okcheong," were set up based on Taoism. Samcheong-dong Street features a mixture of old scenes of hanok buildings with traditional beauty and modern scenes of galleries and cafés, creating a unique atmosphere. Visitors can feel the abundant cultural mood at every corner of the street through the art galleries, museums, antique shops, and quiet pathways.

PKM Gallery (PKM갤러리)

PKM Gallery (PKM갤러리)

8.6Km    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.

Ogeum Park (오금공원)

Ogeum Park (오금공원)

8.6Km    2025-01-17

363 Ogeum-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul

Ogeum Park is a park created by cultivating a mountain with an altitude of 200 meters, providing a panoramic view of Seoul's Songpa district. The park features walking trail, various exercise equipment, and facilities such as badminton and tennis courts. The lawn bowling court is available for use by reservation. There is a toddler forest experience ground and an adventure playground for children, offering activities like rope climbing, rock climbing, net climbing, slides, and spider web climbing.

K.O.N.G Gallery (공근혜갤러리)

K.O.N.G Gallery (공근혜갤러리)

8.6Km    2025-10-28

38 Samcheong-ro 7-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul (Samcheong-dong)

Since its opening in 2005, the gallery has made a significant impact on the Korean photography scene by introducing world-class photographers to Korea. It relocated to its present site next to the Cheongwadae, Samcheong-dong, in 2010, adding spaces for painting, sculpture, video, installation, and other forms of contemporary art. The gallery focuses on artists based in Paris, London, and New York, presenting works that represent the current state of contemporary art in the 21st century. It also plays a vital role as a Korean gallery by discovering young Korean artists and supporting their overseas activities.

Seoul Sajik Park (사직공원(서울))

Seoul Sajik Park (사직공원(서울))

8.6Km    2021-11-12

89, Sajik-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-2-2148-4149

Sajik Park is one of the three most popular parks in Jongno-gu along with Tapgol Park and Samcheong Park. Located west of the Government Complex-Seoul on the southeastern foothills of Inwangsan Mountain, the park measures an impressive 188,710 m².

The name of the park dates back to 1395 when Taejo Yi Sung-gye made Sajik Altar (altar to the State deities) at the center of the park. "Sa" refers to the deity of the earth while "jik" refers to the deity of the five grains. Rites wishing for a good harvest were held regularly at Sajik Altar.

In the park are several playgrounds, statues of Sin Saimdang, Hwanghakjeong, and Yulkog Yi I, and the Municipal Children's Library. Dangun Shrine and Jongno Library are situated nearby. By following the path next to Sajik Park for approximately 5 minutes, travelers can reach the Inwangsan hiking path with relative ease.

Inwangsan Mountain (인왕산)

Inwangsan Mountain (인왕산)

8.7Km    2024-03-04

San 2-1, Muak-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-2-2148-2834

Inwangsan Mountain is a rocky mountain located to the northwestern side of Seoul. It stands 338m tall.  The Seoul City Wall is built along its ridge, connecting to the Baegak Mountain Trail. From the summit, one can see the three mountains of Naksan Mountain, Namsan Mountain, and the Bugaksan Mountain surrounding the historical center of Hanyang, the historical name for Seoul in Joseon period, with the Gyeongbokgung Palace at the center. There are five hiking trails, all taking about two hours to complete. It takes about three hours if you want to visit all the peaks of the mountain.

Owl Museum (부엉이박물관)

Owl Museum (부엉이박물관)

8.7Km    2022-09-19

143, Bukchon-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-2-3210-2902

The Owl Museum is filled with over 2,000 pieces of owl-themed arts and crafts collected from all over the world by the owner. Renovated from a house, the museum has a feel of an antique café as the owner offers a cup of coffee or tea to visitors. Located near the city, those interested in owls should stop for a view and a drink. Various stories of how the collection was gathered as well as information on owls are also interesting.

Kansong Art Museum (간송미술관(서울 보화각))

Kansong Art Museum (간송미술관(서울 보화각))

8.7Km    2025-06-30

102-11 Seongbuk-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul

Kansong Art Museum was the first private art museum in Korea, opened as Bohwagak in 1938 by Kansong Jeon Hyeong-pil. The name was changed to the current Kansong Art Museum in 1966. Bohwagak was designated as National Registered Cultural Heritage No. 768 on December 30, 2019. Jeon Hyeong-pil dedicated his life to preserving and researching Korea’s representative relics that were devaluated and purposefully obliterated during the Japanese colonial era, as well as to acknowledging their cultural excellence and beauty. The museum houses 11 national treasures and 24 treasures.

Samcheong Park (삼청공원)

8.7Km    2024-03-18

44, Insadong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-2-2148-4150

Samcheong Park is a park that blooms in cherry blossoms in spring and fall colors in fall near Gyeongbokgung Palace. The park is home to a forest library and a café, and visitors can follow the trails to find acupressure trails, exercise equipment, badminton court, tennis court, playground, and a convenience store. The area surrounding the park is home to many galleries and restaurants, so it is a popular destination for walking among the people of Seoul.