Visit Korean Heritage Campaign

Modern Heritage Route

Gunsan · Nonsan · Daegu · Mokpo · Seocheon · Iksan · Incheon · Jeonnam-Gwangju · Taebaek - Traces of Modern Era Preserved in Ports, Railways, and Urban Spaces

The Modern Heritage Route brings together the traces of modern Korea, shaped through the opening of its ports, the colonial period, and the course of industrialization, into a single story.
Ports and railways, mines and commercial streets, modern-style architecture and industrial facilities all preserve vivid traces of how people lived and how society changed during this transformative era. From open ports where Western goods and ideas first entered the country, to coal-powered industrial cities and modern urban centers where commerce and administration developed side by side, each region reveals a distinct path toward modernization.

The streets, houses, harbors, and industrial facilities of those times reveal how modernization transformed everyday life. Education and administration, religion and art gave rise to new ways of living, while markets and alleys still bear the imprint of those who lived through this era of rapid change.
The remaining traces offer a vivid glimpse into the transformation of Korean society, its cities, and the lives of its people as the country entered the modern era.

Visit Routes

Traces of Modern-era Daegu Daegu Modern Cultural Street

Daegu’s Modern Cultural Street, the second course in the Jung-gu Alley Tour, is a walking route that neatly links together traces of modern-era history from the port-opening, Korean Empire, and Japanese colonial periods. The route begins at Cheongna Hill, where the American missionaries James E. Adams and Woodbridge E. Johnson settled in 1898 and laid the foundations for Western missionary work, education, and medicine in Daegu. Three elegant ivy-covered Western-style houses, formerly occupied by the families of missionaries William Blair, Oliver Chamness, and Martha Switzer, are now operated as museums of education, medicine, and missionary history, respectively. Below the hill, the route continues on to the 90 Steps, once a hidden passage used during the March First Independence Movement in Daegu. It then visits the monument to “Dongmu Saenggak” (Thinking of a Friend), Korea’s first gagok (lyrical art song) and Daegu Gyesan Cathedral, which began as an early cross-shaped hanok (traditional Korean house) church but was rebuilt in 1902 as a Gothic-style stone and brick building.

The course also passes the former home of Seo Sang-don, who led the National Debt Repayment Movement in 1907 and helped raise donations to repay on Korea’s national debt of 13 million won. It moves on to the former home of poet Yi Sang-hwa, who gave voice to the sorrow and indignation of the Korean people in his poem “Does Spring Come Even to Stolen Fields?” and Gyesan Yega, a modern culture experience center. Other stops include Mulberry Alley, which is associated with Du Sachung, a Chinese immigrant who became naturalized in Joseon Korea; Yangnyeongsi, a four-century-old traditional herbal medicine market; the Museum of Korean Medicine; Yeongnam-daero, an old road taken by scholars going off to sit for the civil service examinations during the Joseon Dynasty; the Eco Hanbang Wellness Center; Jongno, once one of Daegu’s busiest downtown streets; the Chinese Elementary School; and Jingolmok Alley, whose name comes from a local dialect word meaning “long.”

Address

66 Gukchebosang-ro 102-gil, Jung-gu, Daegu
Contact

053-661-2623

Visiting Hours

Open every day, 09:00–18:00 (Fri–Sun until 21:00)

Stamp

Cheongna Hill Tourist Center
Admission Fee

Free
Website

https://www.jung.daegu.kr/new/culture/

Directions

By train: get off at Dongdaegu or Daegu Station, then transfer to the subway.
By subway: Cheongna Hill Station Exit 18 (500 m on foot) or Sinnam Station Exit 9 (300 m on foot)

Through the Gateway of Korea’s Port-opening Era Incheon Gaehang Nurigil

Incheon Gaehang Nurigil is a walking route through the area where modern cultural elements and international influences first flowed into Korea after Incheon opened its port in 1883. As foreign trade expanded following the opening, concessions were opened for Japan, China, and other foreign powers in what is now Incheon Metropolitan City. Modern facilities such as Korea’s first Western-style park, banks, and hotels were built.

Walking along Incheon Gaehang Nurigil, visitors can encounter a wide range of modern-era cultural heritage, such as the boundary steps separating the former Chinese and Japanese and to Western-style buildings constructed during the port-opening period. The route brings together Incheon’s past and present through sites such as the Incheon Open Port Museum, which displays modern-era artifacts introduced to Korea through Incheon some 130 years ago; the Incheon Art Platform, former warehouses once used to store goods at Incheon Port that have been reborn as a cultural and arts space; Chinatown, where local Chinese residents found community; and the Jajangmyeon Museum, which is housed in the former building of Gonghwachun, Korea’s first Chinese restaurant.

Address

89, Sinpo-ro 23beon-gil, Jemulpo-gu, Incheon
Contact

032-764-0488

Visiting Hours

09:00–18:00 (last admission 17:30, Tue–Sun) · Closed on Mondays, Jan 1, Lunar New Year and Chuseok

Stamp

Incheon Open Port Museum
Admission Fee

Adults 500 KRW; youth/military-police 300 KRW; children free
Website

https://ijcf.or.kr

Directions

Get off at Incheon Station (Subway Line 1) → walk

Through the Gateway of Korea’s Port-opening Era1

Through the Gateway of Korea’s Port-opening Era2

Through the Gateway of Korea’s Port-opening Era3

Through the Gateway of Korea’s Port-opening Era4

Through the Gateway of Korea’s Port-opening Era5

Gwangju’s Jerusalem Yangnim History and Culture Village, Jeonnam-Gwangju

Yangnim-dong, which was once called Beodeureum for the way the ridges of Yangnimsan and Sajiksan Mountains extend toward Gwangjucheon Stream, became a center of modernization in Gwangju in 1904 when Western missionaries including Eugene Bell and Clement Owen settled here.

Churches, schools, and hospitals were established around this once-quiet area on the slopes of Yangnimsan Mountain outside Gwangju Eupseong Walled Town, creating a foundation for Christian evangelism, modern education, and modern medicine. Today, historic sites such as Speer Girls’ School, Owen Memorial Hall, the Missionary Wilson's House, the missionary cemetery where twenty-two missionaries are buried, and a 400-year-old holly tree remain quietly nestled within the village.

Thanks to this beautiful wooded scenery within the city, Yangnim-dong was also once home to some of Gwangju’s wealthiest families. As a result, elegant traditional hanok houses, including the Choi Seung-hyo’s House and the Lee Jang-woo's House, coexist harmoniously with modern Western-style buildings throughout its alleys.

The village also served as a cradle for the arts, producing many prominent writers and artists, including the poet Kim Hyeon-seung. Today, a wide range of cultural and artistic programs and projects continue to connect Yangnim’s past with the present.

Address

7 Cheonbyeonjwa-ro 446beon-gil and vicinity, Nam-gu, Jeonnam-Gwangju
Contact

062-607-2331

Visiting Hours

09:00–18:00 · Closed on Mondays and public holidays

Stamp

Yangnim Hub Arts & Travel Center
Admission Fee

Free
Website

https://visityangnim.kr/

Directions

See "Getting There" on the Yangnim History and Culture Village website

A Village for the Coal-Mining Community Cheoram Coal-Mine Historic Town, Taebaek

Cheoram was once the heart of Korea’s coal industry as it powered the country’s industrialization. This coal-mining town bustled with thousands of people each day, including miners and their family members who had gathered here from across the country.

Because the village was largely bypassed by later development, its appearance as a coal-mining community from the peak of the industry remains remarkably intact, from the stilted buildings crowding the narrow mountainside to the old shopping streets and alleyway signs. Exhibition spaces throughout Cheoram Coal-Mine Historic Town offer a glimpse into the arduous yet vibrant lives of miners and other local residents through photographs and everyday objects.

Nearby Cheoram Station stands the Cheoram Coal Preparation Plant, which was built in 1935 and is still in operation today. As Korea’s only operating anthracite coal preparation facility, it allows visitors to see the industrial process by which mined coal is sorted and transported.

Address

404 Dongtaebaek-ro, Taebaek-si, Gangwon-do
Contact

033-550-2879 (Cheoram Tourist Information Center)

Visiting Hours

To be confirmed (reference: 10:00–17:00, closed 1st & 3rd Mondays — please verify locally)

Stamp

Cheoram Tourist Information Center
Admission Fee

Free
Website

https://tour.taebaek.go.kr

Directions

Get off at Taebaek Express Bus Terminal/Taebaek Station, then take a city bus toward Cheoram-dong

A Village for the Coal-Mining Community1

A Village for the Coal-Mining Community2

A Village for the Coal-Mining Community3

A Village for the Coal-Mining Community4

A Village for the Coal-Mining Community5

A Village for the Coal-Mining Community6

Traces of Modernity Left at an Inland Port Ganggyeong Modern Street, Nonsan

Ganggyeong was recognized in the late Joseon period as one of the nation’s three major markets, along with Wonsan and Daegu. It was an inland commercial port town where goods were transported along the Geumgang River. Long known for its prosperity, the area’s scenery and customs are said to have captivated Yi Jung-hwan, the author of Taengniji (Ecological Guide to Korea), to such a degree that he stayed here while writing the book. During the Japanese colonial period, modern-era culture flourished in Ganggyeong as financial institutions and commercial facilities clustered in the area, including the Ganggyeong Branch of the Hanho Agricultural and Industrial Bank (now the Ganggyeong History Museum). Old bank buildings, shop-houses, and other modern-era structures can still be found around Ongnyeobong Peak. Together with the Ganggyeong Jeotgal Market, famous for its salt-fermented seafood, these sites offer visitors a glimpse into the layered history that have shaped Ganggyeong as a commercial town from the late Joseon to the modern era.

Address

40-2, Ongnyeobong-ro, Ganggyeong-eup, Nonsan-si, Chungcheongnam-do
Contact

041-746-5416

Visiting Hours

Open daily (outdoor stamp location) · No closing days

Stamp

Telephone booth at 40-2 Ongnyeobong-ro, Ganggyeong-eup, Nonsan-si (across from Baengnyeongaya Mil-myeon)
Admission Fee

Free
Website

https://www.nonsan.go.kr

Directions

Get off at Ganggyeong Station (Janghang Line) → walk to Ganggyeong Modern Street

Traces of Modernity Left at an Inland Port1

Traces of Modernity Left at an Inland Port2

Traces of Modernity Left at an Inland Port3

Traces of Modernity Left at an Inland Port4

Traces of Modernity Left at an Inland Port5

Traces of Modernity Left at an Inland Port6

Traces of Modernity Left at an Inland Port7

Traces of Modernity Left at an Inland Port8

Traces of Modernity Left at an Inland Port9

Traces of Modernity Left at an Inland Port10

A Village Where Time Stands Still Pangyo Modern History and Culture District, Seocheon

The Pangyo Modern History and Culture District in Seocheon vividly traces the historical trajectory of a rural community in the modern and contemporary periods. The village prospered after 1930 when Pangyo Station opened on the Janghang railway line connecting Cheonan and Iksan during the Japanese colonial period, but began to decline after the railway station was relocated in 2008. The district encompasses seven modern-era buildings in Hyeonam-ri: the Former Dongil Rice Mill, Dongil Brewery, Modern Shop-House 1, the Former Samhwa Rice Mill, Modern Shop-House 2, the Former Reserve Forces Headquarters, and the Former Pangyo Theater.

A settlement known at the time as Pangyo Village, now named Hyeonam-ri, quickly developed around Pangyo Station after its opening. It flourished to the extent that the township office, market, post office, and police station were all moved here from nearby Pangyo-ri. It was counted among the three major cattle markets in Chungcheongnam-do Province. However, when Pangyo Station was relocated in 2008 as part of a straightening of the Janghang Line, the village was spared from further development. As a result, many of the old buildings constructed between the 1930s and the 1980s, including the theater, Dongil Brewery, and Jangmi Photo Studio (found in a Japanese-style house) remain alongside faded signs. This earned the village the description of “a Village Where Time Stopped”. Visitors can slowly take in the atmosphere of a modern-era commercial village by looking for the old lettering and signs that still remain on the historic buildings.

Address

882-8, Jongpan-ro, Pangyo-myeon, Seocheon-gun, Chungcheongnam-do
Contact

041-951-5001 (Pangyo-myeon Community Center)

Visiting Hours

Village: Open daily (outdoors) · Village Information Center: 09:00–18:00 · Closed on Sundays and Mondays

Stamp

"The Village Where Time Stopped" Information Center
Admission Fee

Free
Website

https://www.seocheon.go.kr

Directions

From Seocheon Bus Terminal, take a rural bus to Pangyo (Hyeonam-ri)

Traces of a Modern Port City History and Culture District of Gunsan

After the Korean Empire opened its ports in 1899, the area surrounding Gunsan’s inner harbor quickly developed into a modern port city. Foreign settlements were established here around the Former Gunsan Customs House Main Building, and the city became one of the principal ports through which rice harvested from the lowlands of Jeolla-do Province was shipped to Japan as part of the colonial exploitation of Korea. Remnants of the old port facilities still survive today, including the Floating Dock in Gunsan Inner Harbor, which rises and falls with the tides. There are also retaining walls and railway tracks. In the Jangmi-dong area, visitors can find a cluster of modern-era financial and customs-related buildings, such as the red-brick Former Gunsan Customs House Main Building, the Former Gunsan Branch of the Bank of Joseon (now used as the Modern Art Museum), and the Former Gunsan Branch of the Japanese 18th Bank. To the east, in Sinheung-dong, stands a Japanese-style house formerly known as the Hirotsu House. Built in what was an affluent residential neighborhood during the Japanese colonial era, the house remains close to its original form and has been widely used as a filming location, including for The General’s Son. Starting from the Gunsan Modern History Museum, visitors can explore the Modern Architecture Hall, the Modern Art Museum, and Jinpo Marine Theme Park on foot to gain a broader understanding of Gunsan’s history as a modern port city shaped by the opening of its port, colonial exploitation, and industrialization.

Address

240 Haemang-ro and vicinity, Gunsan-si, Jeollabuk-do
Contact

063-454-7872~7875

Visiting Hours

Summer (Mar–Oct) 09:00–18:00 / Winter (Nov–Feb) 09:00–17:00 · Closed on Mondays and Jan 1

Stamp

Gunsan Modern History Museum
Admission Fee

Adults 2,000 KRW (groups 1,000 KRW); museum combo ticket 3,000 KRW
Website

https://museum.gunsan.go.kr

Directions

By city bus:
Routes 1-2, 8, 17-19, 88-89 → get off at the Museum stop
Routes 3-4, 7, 11-13, 15-16 → get off at Naehang Intersection stop

Somri, a Site of Everyday Life in the Modern Era Somri Modern History and Culture District, Iksan

Somri is the old name of Iri (now Iksan) in Jeonbuk State. Once a quiet village with only about ten households, it began to develop into a small market town after Gunsan Port opened to foreign trade in 1899, drawing people traveling between Gunsan and Jeonju. With the establishment of Dong-Iri Station in 1914, the area around Somri Market, near today’s Nambu Market, became a bustling commercial district. In 1919, events connected to the April 4 demonstrations in support of national independence took place at Somri Market.

As a site that preserves traces of everyday life during the modern era, the district still retains streets of textile and sewing shops that continued to operate for many years after Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule. Old buildings and signs in its narrow alleys preserve their own distinctive atmosphere. In recognition of its value both for preservation and for current use, the area was designated as National Registered Cultural Heritage in 2019 under the name Somri Modern History and Culture District, Iksan.

Somri Culture Geumgo Vault, a stamp station on the Visit Korean Heritage campaign, was built in 1925 as the Iri Financial Cooperative building. After Korea’s liberation, it was used as a registry office and later as a branch office of Jeonbuk Bank, taking part in the local history of finance. Today, it has been transformed into a visitor center and multipurpose cultural space representing the Somri Modern History and Culture District. It offers visitors a glimpse into the long relationship between modern financial facilities and the lives of local residents.

Address

5 Inbuk-ro 12-gil, Iksan-si, Jeollabuk-do
Contact

063-859-5802 (Iksan City Cultural Heritage Division)

Visiting Hours

10:00–18:00 · Closed on Mondays, Jan 1, Lunar New Year and Chuseok

Stamp

Somri Culture Geumgo Vault
Admission Fee

Free
Website

http://www.culturecityiksan.or.kr
Directions
```
15-minute walk from Iksan Station
```

Somri, a Site of Everyday Life in the Modern Era1

Somri, a Site of Everyday Life in the Modern Era2

Somri, a Site of Everyday Life in the Modern Era3

Somri, a Site of Everyday Life in the Modern Era4

Somri, a Site of Everyday Life in the Modern Era5

Somri, a Site of Everyday Life in the Modern Era6

Somri, a Site of Everyday Life in the Modern Era7

Somri, a Site of Everyday Life in the Modern Era8

Somri, a Site of Everyday Life in the Modern Era9

Somri, a Site of Everyday Life in the Modern Era10

An Area Marked by the Opening of Ports and Colonial Exploitation Mokpo History and Culture of Modern Times

The Mokpo History and Culture of Modern Times preserves the painful memory of colonial exploitation, but it also bears witness to the history of Korean resistance, including dockworkers’ labor struggles, farm tenancy disputes, righteous army activities, and anti-Japanese independence groups.

When Mokpo opened its port to international trade in 1897, this neighborhood was designated as a foreign settlement where people from other countries could reside. The coastal area around the Joseon-era military facility known as Mokpojin was reclaimed to create a modern-era urban district. The period’s road grid and many of its modern buildings remain well-preserved to this day. At the time of the opening of Mokpo’s port, the foreign settlement covered a total area of 726,024 square meters (approx. 220,000 pyeong). The core area of this settlement was later designated as Registered Cultural Heritage No. 718.

The district is organized around a main road that runs from the neighborhood of a former elementary school for Japanese residents toward Mokpo Station, connecting Yudalsan Mountain, Mokpojin Military Camp, and the wharf. A number of modern buildings and sites are concentrated in this area, including the Former Japanese Consulate (now Mokpo Modern History Museum No. 1), which is designated as a Historic Site; the Former Oriental Development Company building (now Mokpo Modern History Museum No. 2), a symbol of colonial economic exploitation; schools and churches used by Japanese residents; Japanese-style houses; and commercial facilities such as a department store.

Address

6 Yeongsan-ro 29beon-gil, Mokpo-si, Jeonnam-Gwangju
Contact

061-270-8719 (Mokpo City Urban Heritage Division)

Visiting Hours

09:00–17:30 (last admission 17:00) · Closed on Mondays

Stamp

Mokpo Modern History Museum No. 1
Admission Fee

Adults 2,000 KRW; youth/military 1,000 KRW; elementary students 500 KRW; preschoolers and under free
Website

https://www.mokpo.go.kr/tour/attraction/area?mode=view&idx=7449&search_cate11=01

Directions

Get off at Mokpo Station, then take a city bus to Mokpo Modern History Museum

An Area Marked by the Opening of Ports and Colonial Exploitation1

An Area Marked by the Opening of Ports and Colonial Exploitation2

An Area Marked by the Opening of Ports and Colonial Exploitation3

An Area Marked by the Opening of Ports and Colonial Exploitation4

An Area Marked by the Opening of Ports and Colonial Exploitation5

An Area Marked by the Opening of Ports and Colonial Exploitation6

An Area Marked by the Opening of Ports and Colonial Exploitation7

List