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An art stroll of overlapping times, the faces of Seoul in Jeong-dong

Jeong-dong is a neighborhood where the intersections of Seoul's timelines are the most complex. Modern architecture stands next to the palace walls, and performances, exhibitions, and daily life continues between the streets. This course follows the time that Jeong-dong contains while walking, listening, and watching.

City Hall Station, the starting point of a stroll around Jeong-dong

City Hall Station, where subway lines 1 and 2 intersect, is the most familiar and well-known place to start from to get to Jeong-dong. Deoksugung palace, Seoul Plaza, and Deoksugung Palace's Stone Wall Path are all connected closely, and the area is naturally connected to Gwanghwamun and Myeong-dong. It is in the middle of the city, but the moment you move to Jeong-dong, the air changes a little.

<Jeongdong in Modern Times>, Travelling through time while walking

The best way to understand Jeong-dong in depth is to walk slowly. <Jeongdong in Modern Times> is a commentary-type walking tour that takes you between the stone of Deoksugung Palace and the red brick building and follows the modern history of Seoul in the early 1900s

As you pass through the legation offices of the imperialist powers and where Gojong once stayed alongside detailed explanations from a professional commentator, it becomes possible to vividly imagine the scenery of modern Seoul, where both splendor and confusion coexisted. An understanding of the many choices and changes the neighborhood has gone through comes naturally as well.

Tip. The walking tour takes 2~3 hours total, and all other details including meet-up points and tour course are available on the Seoul Guided Walking Tour website.

Café Sophora, a refuge of art and scenery

After a guided walking tour, café Sopjora which faces Deoksugung palace's Dondeokjeon Hall is the perfect place to catch your breath. This is a complex cultural space where you can enjoy domestic and foreign artworks while drinking coffee, and it is one of the places where you can feel the calm atmosphere of Jeong-dong most comfortably.

Located between Deoksugung Palace's Stone Wall Path and the path of King Gojong, the view from the window alone is sufficient to spark lingering emotions. It is a good space to organize thoughts accumulated while walking and reflect on the time of Jeong-dong once again.

Café Sophora

 114, Deoksugung-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
 Closed Sun-Mon. Open Tue-Sat, 10:00 Am - 6:00 PM.

National Jeongdong Theater of Korea, Stage performances of tradition continuing to the present day

The stroll around Jeong-dong is only properly completed once you arrive at the National Jeongdong Theater of Korea. This place, which inherited the historical spirit of Korea's first modern theater 'Wagaksa', is a representative public theater where tradition and modern performing arts coexist.

Various genres of works, from traditional art stages to creative performances, continue to be performed here, and you can meet the moment when the culture of the past comes back to life through the aesthetics of the modern day. It is a place where you can experience the "History of change" of Jeong-dong in the most current sense.

Tip. Check the National Jeongdong Theater of Korea's website for details on performances and ticket purchases

National Jeongdong Theater of Korea (Click)

 43, Jeongdong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
 Weekdays: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Jeong-dong may always look the same, but it has continued to change. Modern Seoul was built upon the time of the palace, and today's art continues on top of it. It is a neighborhood where the past and the present naturally overlap as you walk. If you want to understand the city of Seoul a little deeper, a day in Jeong-dong will be the best starting point.