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Exploring Changsin-dong

DATE: Sunday, June 19, 2022 – 1:00pm to 5:00pm
DESTINATION: Changsin-dong
COST: KRW25,000 for Members; KRW30,000 for Non-members
TOUR LEADER: Robert J. Fouser

MEETING POINT: At the top of Exit #4 of Hansung University Station (Subway Line 4). At 1:00PM.

RSVP by June 16 (Thursday) by clicking HERE with payment of the fee via bank transfer.  Please register one RSVP at a time.

☞Payment to be remitted to the following account:
SHINHAN BANK ACCOUNT # 100-026-383501 (RAS-KB)

*Reservation is not confirmed until payment has been received by RAS Korea in advance of the event.

Description:
During this excursion, we will explore Changsin-dong, an old and varied neighborhood just outside of the Seoul Fortress Wall and north of Dongdaemun. The excursion will begin at the Hyehwamun near the Hansung University Station. From there, we walk along the Seoul Fortress Wall and then visit Jangsu Village just outside of the wall. Jangsu Village is one of many “moon villages,” housing areas built without building permits on the side of mountains in the 1960s. We will then make our way to the Samgunbu Chongmudang, the Joseon-period headquarters of the Korean military. Built in 1868, the building was moved to its present location in 1930. From there, we stop at the reconstructed Biudang where the famous silhak scholar Yi Su-gwang lived.

The next two stops are Buddhist temples. The first is Cheongnyongsa Temple in nearby Sungin-dong. The temple was founded in 922 and is famous for several large paintings. We will wander through the side streets of Sungin-dong on our way to the Anyangam Hermitage in Changsin-dong. Founded in the late 19th century, the hermitage sits near the top of a rocky hill and integrates the rough terrain into the layout.

From Anyangam, stop by the Changsin Sungin Quarry Observatory and take in the views of the city and the remnants of a query that was used to supply building stones during the Japanese colonial period. Next, we will make our way down to commercial areas in Changsin-dong stopping at the Iumpium Museum of Sewing History that honors the area’s heritage of supplying clothes for Dongdaemun Market.

The Changsin-dong and Sungin-dong have a number of hanoks scattered amid late 20th- century cityscape. We will visit several alleys lined with hanoks and stop by the Nam June Paik Memorial House in a hanok near the house where Paik grew up.

Our last stops will be the Dongmyo and the nearby flea market. Dongmyo is a shrine to the Guan Yu, a 3rd century Chinese military commander. The shrine was built in 1599 with funds from Ming Dynasty China to strengthen China’s position in Korea after the Japanese invasions in 1592 and 1598. Since the late 1980s, a large flea market has developed in the areas around the shine.

We will begin the excursion at 13:00 at Exit #4 of Hansung University Station (Subway Line 4). The excursion will last until about 17:00 and will end at Dongmyo Station (Subway Lines 1 and 6), but participants may join me afterwards for a coffee or an early dinner (not included in the excursion fee) in the neighborhood. The walk includes some hills and comfortable walking shoes are recommended.

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