Seoul Photo Gallery - Ihwa Mural Village

Hidden away along Seoul's hillsides near the old city walls, a number of residential side streets have been decorated with murals by local artists and students thanks to a cultural project in 2006 by the government to transform a poor neighbourhood into an artistic landmark. This area was once home to refugees who lived in shacks after the Korean War.
Attracting scores of tourists, it was a mixed blessing to locals, who had to cope with noise and nuisance. Some residents set out to vandalize and paint over the works to make their point in 2016, but when I arrived on a sunny Sunday afternoon in 2023, I was surprised to find deserted streets and plenty of interesting artworks all to myself. Where did the tourists go?

After long staircase climbs, the view opened up and I had Seoul's north side in front of me.

At the top of the hill are the old city walls and Naksan Park. I then followed the walls back downhill towards Dongdaemun.


Hidden away along Seoul's hillsides near the old city walls, a number of residential side streets have been decorated with murals by local artists and students thanks to a cultural project in 2006 by the government to transform a poor neighbourhood into an artistic landmark. This area was once home to refugees who lived in shacks after the Korean War. Attracting scores of tourists, it was a mixed blessing to locals, who had to cope with noise and nuisance. Some residents set out to vandalize and paint over the works to make their point in 2016, but when I arrived on a sunny Sunday afternoon in 2023, I was surprised to find deserted streets and plenty of interesting artworks all to myself. Where did the tourists go? After long staircase climbs, the view opened up and I had Seoul's north side in front of me. At the top of the hill are the old city walls and Naksan Park. I then followed the walls back downhill towards Dongdaemun.

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