History and Present of Insa-dong, Seoul

Insadong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

The best place to feel traditional culture among Seoul's many places

Insadong is an administrative district designated by law located in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Generally, it refers to Insa-dong and its neighboring areas where antiques, penbangs, traditional crafts and traditional restaurants are located. The old alleys and attractive efforts make it a top tourist destination. In Insadong, you can listen to various languages, from Japanese to English on the street. Insadong is a place where you can feel like this in Seoul. This is where Korea's characteristics live.

The name of the Insadong area originated from a building in the early Joseon Dynasty. There is a name called Gwaninbang and Ambassador dong, but the name “Insadong” is combined with the letters “In” and “Sa” in the middle. This route is located between Bukak Mountain in the north and Cheonggyecheon in the south. Previously, there was a stream that started from Samcheong-dong to Insa-dong to Gwangtong Bridge where it met Cheonggyecheon, but it is now gone. If you go to Insa-dong, you will be actively performing magic performances and busking in the late hours.

From the Japanese colonial period, antique shops began to enter, and it was said that the shops served as a means of looting cultural properties. For this reason, the Independence Movement took place in Insa-dong on March 1, 1919, and the Taehwa Building, which was gathered at that time, now has the Taehwa Building.

After liberation, in the 1970s, art-related shops entered and began to develop into a street of culture similar to the present, and in 1988, Insa-dong was designated as a 'street of traditional culture'. In 2002, it was designated as the first cultural district. It is considered as the number one tourist destination for foreigners visiting Korea.

Insadong is now a commercial area. When you enter Insa-dong, you can see the signboards of franchise stores written in Korean. Originally, most of the franchise signs were written in English, but Hangang signboards hang everywhere in Insadong. It is characterized by having a Korean feel. There are many traditional workshops, antique shops, craft and hanbok houses, traditional taverns and tea houses.

 If you go to Insadong, you can sell traditional snacks on the street. Snacks include glutinous rice cake, glutinous rice cake, and sikhye.