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Studio Rotate

Caring for the earth

Eco-friendliness begins with the little things. An artist, Nayeong, has been a vegan, dreaming of coexistence with other creatures on earth, and focuses in on the value of waste. “Upcycle,” a combination of the words upgrade and recycle, refers to making entirely new things with recycled materials. At her studio, Studio Rotate, Nayeong creates keyrings from plastics, mobiles from leftover wood at timber mills, and bags from leftover patches of clothes at sewing factories. You can buy her work on the official website of Studio Rotate, but to more directly understand the concept of upcycling, it may be better to do it yourself.

Workshops and classes in Studio Rotate offer the opportunity to make your own upcycled crafts. Not only will you be delighted in making something with disposed objects and materials, but it is also a sure-fire way to save the earth. Studio Rotate supports Hotpink Dolphins, Animal Liberation Wave, and the Korea Federation for Environmental Movements. You can find the notices about the workshops and classes on the website. As the studio is run by a solo artist, inquiries are accepted via Instagram.

Seoul Upcycling Plaza

Upcycling beyond recycling

If recycling is a process in which waste can become raw materials through circulation, upcycling is a process in which discarded resources become aesthetic products with added design. Upcycling is a high value-added industry that is recently drawing much attention in Europe. One of such representative upcycling brands is Freitag, which recorded sales of as much as KRW 70 billion with bags made from recycled truck tarp.

The upcycling industry is also actively being cultivated in South Korea, centering around Seoul Upcycling Plaza. Opened in 2019, Seoul Upcycling Plaza is the nation’s largest upcycling culture complex averaging 10,000 visitors a month. With five above ground floors and two basement levels, it boasts a spacious area of 16,530 m² and is operated by the Seoul Design Foundation. Here, you can choose among various classes in which you can upcycle discarded resources like waste banners, coffee sacks, and milk cartons into notebooks, cushions, and brooches. There are diverse things to tour, as well, such as exhibitions that display upcycled products. Also, you can visit the Material Bank for easy access to upcycling materials. The bank classifies and manages 242 types of materials, including wood and cloth, and provides them to consumers.

Gyeongchun Line Forest Park

The good old days

Gyeongchun Line Forest Park is a forest trail that is built along an old railroad from Nokcheon Middle School in Wolgye-dong to Damteo Village. Established in 1939 as the nation’s first railroad built based on national capital under Japanese rule, the Gyeongchun Line was closed in 2010 after about 71 years in service. Since it ceased its operation, the defunct railroad became a nuisance for neighboring residents. Fortunately, as Seoul started to turn the 6.3-km section of the railroad from Kwangwoon Univ. Station to the city’s border into a park in 2013, the place has become an urban trail beloved by everyone. The railroad is also famous as a filming site for movies, including Once Upon a Time in High School (2004) and The Letter (1997).

The most famous section in the park is section 3, which runs from the former Hwarangdae Station to the city border of Guri. The former station, a whistle stop connecting Seoul and Chuncheon, is currently preserved as Hwarangdae History Museum. The museum offers a free rental service of attire and hats from the 1970s & 80s for visitors to take unique, vintage snapshots. Around the station, there are different kinds of trains on display, including a narrow-gauge train that was moved from Seoul Children’s Grand Park, a tram from Prague, a Japanese trolley, and the steam locomotive, Mika 5-56. When you have a cup of coffee at Bandi, a cafe inside one of the trains, you’ll feel as if you’re embarking on a journey. After 6 PM, the Nowon Light Garden lights up, decorating ten themed-gardens, including the Light Garden and the Secret Garden, shining a romantic lighting onto the station as in the days of old.

Seoullo 7017 & Culture Station Seoul 284

Where art thrives

Gyeongseong Station was constructed in 1925. Topped with a bronzy Byzantine dome, the Renaissance structure built with red bricks is also the oldest station in South Korea. Renamed Seoul Station, it continued to be operated until the new Seoul Station was established in 2004. Now, the building has been transformed into Culture Station Seoul 284, an arts and culture complex. The restoration project focused on reviving the original appearance of the structure at the point of its construction in 1925 and preserving the history of Seoul Station. Bullet marks from the Korean War on the left outer wall on the backside of the building are kept as is, while the VIP lounge on the first floor used by presidents until the 1970s was also renovated. The number “284” signifies the designation of former Seoul Station as Historic Site No. 284.

Here, you can enjoy exhibitions, performances, cultural events, and permanent programs all year round. The Culture Station Seoul 284 Tour Program is accompanied with guide commentary, so that you can fully appreciate every single aspect of the very monument you are in, a monument which has been standing at the epi-center of the country’s modern history. After taking the time to look around, head on over to the nearby Seoullo 7017 where you can take in a bird’s eye view of Culture Station Seoul 284. Seoullo7017 is a place that was born by renovating a deteriorated overpass near the former Seoul Station. The number “70” in its name refers to “1970,” the year in which the overpass was completed, while “17” connotes various meanings, indicating “2017” for the completed year of the regeneration project, “17” pedestrian walkways, and “17” meters, the height of the overpass.

Seoullo 7017

Address  Seoul Station, 1, Tongil-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul

Hours  Daily 10:00 – 19:00 / Wednesdays 10:00 – 21:00 (Closed Mondays)

Parking  Lotte Mart Seoul Station Branch Parking Lot (KRW 6,000 per hour, 840 parking spaces available)

Culture Station Seoul 284

Hours  Daily 10:30, 14:00, 16:00 (Closed Mondays)

Website  http://seoul284.org

Tel  +82-2-3407-3500

Language Services  N/A

Sewoon Plaza

re:Sewoon Project

Sewoon Plaza is South Korea’s first multi-purpose apartment complex built in 1968. The name “Sewoon” means “inviting vigor from all over the world.” The building already became a landmark in 1970 and many celebrities and high-ranking officials movedintotheresidential spaces above the fifth floor. The shopping mall, located in the first four floors, was the only shopping center specialized in selling household appliances and thrived at the time. It wasn’t until the late 1970s, after the development of the Gangnam area, construction booms of high-rise apartments and establishment of the Yongsan Electronics Market, when most of the residents moved out and the shopping mall in Sewoon Plaza started to decline.

In the 2000s, the mall was to be demolished altogether. The city had plans for a project to greenify the area, but due to the aftermath of the global financial crisis that hit the nation in 2008, the plans were canceled in 2012. In 2014, the Seoul Metropolitan Government implemented the “re:Sewoon Project” as part of its urban regeneration initiative. Accordingly, Sewoon Plaza was not dismantled, but rather, renovated and reopened in 2017. The skybridge connecting Sewoon Plaza and Daelim Plaza was also reopened withthe new name “re:Sewoon Skywalk.” The rooftop on the eighth floor of Sewoon Plaza was refurbished into Seoul Rooftop, where you can overlook the panoramic view of the Namsan Mountain and Jongmyo Shrine. The former Sewoon Greenway Park was completely transformed into re:Sewoon Plaza, a culture complex, while the Sewoon Exhibition Hall of Cultural Assets is preserving the site of the government office of the Hanseong City Administration and other relics.

Eulji Darak

Newtro vibes

Millennials love Eulji-ro as it retains the old vibes of Seoul in the 1960s-70s. Enter the shabby and rugged buildings and you will find hip cafes playing trendy music. This is why young people also refer to Eulji-ro as Hipji-ro, and Eulji Darak exemplifies just how “hip” Eulji-ro has become. Its exterior doesn’t look too fancy as it keeps the building’s original form as old as 20 years. The two-story establishment offers a cafe on the first floor called Eulji Dabang where visitors can try daldari coffee and black herbal milk tea, signature menu items. If you order daldari coffee, you will be served with dalgona, a nostalgic candy for many Koreans. That’s why so many tourists who want to experience Korean culture visit the cafe. Go upstairs through the narrow stairs and you will find Eulji Darak, comprised of a living room and three other rooms. Keeping the old interior of the building, including the floor, cabinets, and furniture, the space feels genuinely antique. It is a flagship store of KolonFnC whereits fivebrands — Kolon Sport, Customellow, Series, Epigram, and Re;code — are on display. Through the window of the attic, you can see manufacturing companies clustered about, all combining for that rich newtro vibe with a vintage flair.

Inhyeon Market

Bursting of youthful energy

Coming out of exit 8 of Chungmuro Station, you can follow a 202-meter alley, housing as many as 110 stores and boasting of Inhyeon Market’s history of 50 years. The market formed spontaneously between the 1950s and early 1960s, and enjoyed sweeping popularity thanks to its location behind Chungmu-ro, famous for its printing and film streets. However, the market saw a recession as Sewoon Plaza began its business in the late 1960s. It remained a familiar place for the neighborhood’s small business owners forits affordable food, but there was nothing to stop the aging of both the market and its merchants. It was under these circumstances that the Young Merchant’s Entrepreneurship Support Project began to encourage young merchants to start their businessin empty stores and support them with various benefits. Seoul Tulbo, a restaurant of the project, is radiates with newtro ambiance filled with scavenged items from nearby apartment buildings. An eatery during the day and a pub serving assorted fingerfoods at night, Seoul Tulbo attracts young people to come inside. There is also a leather workshop, as well as calligraphy and handicrafts stores along with other establishments run by young merchants, which have all started to make the market vibrantagain. Come and discover somenew trendy spots while basking in the warm ambiance of Inhyeon Market.

Inhyeon Market

Address  192-1, Inhyeon-dong 2-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul

Seoul Tulbo

Address  12, Mareunnae-ro 6-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul

Hours  Mon – Fri 12:00 – 24:00 (Break Time 14:00 – 17:00) / Sat 16:00 – 24:00 (Closed Sundays)

Tel  +82-10-3043-2848

Price  KRW 6,500 (Cream curry), KRW 8,500 (Shrimp curry), KRW 12,000 (Chicken karaage)

Accommodation  30 people (indoor tables)

Language Services  ENG

Fabrikr

Expressing time through design

You can’t talk about Seoul Tour without this keyword: Cafe. Among numerous cafes in Seoul, “Onion” is particularly noticeable as it was derived from an old metal parts factory from the 1970s before being renovated into a cafe. Its crumbling walls, old tiles, and even rusty gate are kept to highlight antiquity. The unfamiliar and fresh venue is leading a new trend. After its run as a factory, after serving as a supermarket, restaurant, residence, and garage for over 50 years, the space is now packed with people looking for coffee and bread. The artist duo who designed the space is Fabrikr, meaning people who reinterpret fabrics. The most “Korean” space that Fabrikr has designed might be Onion in Anguk, their third branch. Once the police bureau during the Joseon Period and then a restaurant that sold Korean tables d’hote, the 100-year-old hanok years was transformed into a fashionable cafe. What is special about this place is that you can experience not only the floor-sitting culture of Korea,butalso rubbershoes made available for visitors to wear whenever need to take a stop in the restroom. You can enjoy a cup of hand drip coffee with the savory injeolmi scone covered with bean flour, the only of its kind sold here at Onion Anguk.

Onion Anguk

Address  5, Gyedong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Hours  Mon – Fri 07:00 – 21:00 / Sat - Sun 09:00 – 21:00

Instagram  @cafe.onion

Tel  +82-70-7543-2123

Accommodation  70 people (indoor tables) & 30 people (outdoor tables)

Parking  Outdoor parking lot of Hyundai Gyedong Office Building (KRW 4,000 per hour)

Language Services  ENG, CHN, JPN