Yangnim-dong Penguin Village Craft Street (양림동 펭귄마을공예거리)

9.3Km 2025-08-13

92-8 Baekseo-ro, Nam-gu, Gwangju

Yangnim-dong Penguin Village Craft Street is a narrow alleyway located behind the Yangnim-dong Community Center. The village, named because of the way the elderly residents appear to waddle like penguins, has become an exhibition space of life in the 70s and 80s. Villagers cleaned up empty houses that had been burnt down and left unattended in the past, brought discarded items, and began displaying them on the village walls. "Let's be thankful for living at that time" was engraved on the village wall. It also has historical culture, such as the House of Choe Seunghyo, the House of Missionary Uilsa, and Owen Memorial Hall. The Penguin Jumak in the middle of the village was the residents' gathering place, selling small but necessary items. Various workshops, such as leather workshops, textile workshops, and carpentry workshops, are located on Craft Street, so you can purchase pretty crafts or experience upcycling crafts with a retro vibe in which the historical and the modern coexist.

Yangnim History & Culture Village (양림역사문화마을)

9.3Km 2023-11-28

7 Seoseopyeong-gil, Nam-gu, Gwangju
+82-62-676-4486

Yangnim History & Culture Village is located in the area where Western items and ideas first entered Gwangju over 100 years ago. As such, the neighborhood has a unique collection of Western architecture mixed with traditional hanok houses. There are also many houses of Christian missionaries, who facilitated the advancement of medicine and education in Gwangju. Some areas, such as Penguin Village, have been decorated with murals and outdoor exhibitions to promote art and tourism, helping the elderly locals to make a living.

Ramada Plaza By Wyndham Chungjang (라마다플라자 충장호텔)

9.3Km 2024-11-28

369 Cheonbyeonu-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju

Ramada Plaza By Wyndham Chungjang is the second Ramada Plaza in Gwangju with a view of Mudeungsan Mountain and Gwanjucheon Stream. The hotel has spacious 95 rooms with facilities including a fitness center, male-only sauna and more. Convention Center with a view of Mudeungsan Mountain, lounge and entertainment facilities with a trendy style provide guests with the comfort for any type of travel.

Owen Memorial Hall (오웬기념각)

9.4Km 2024-11-12

6 Baekseo-ro 70beon-gil, Nam-gu, Gwangju
+82-62-650-7647

The Owen Monument and Memorial Hall is located inside the Christian College of Nursing. The monument was erected in 1914 in memory of missionary Clement Owen who, together with Priest Bae Yoo-ji, was the first missionary to come to Jeollanam-do. The monument was built using the 4,200 dollars collected by Owen’s relatives in the USA after Owen died as a martyr in Gwangju.

Clement Owen came to Yangnim-dong, Gwangju in the 1900s and served as a missionary and medical volunteer with his wife, who was a nurse, before dying of exhaustion and overwork in 1909. Owen had hoped to build a memorial hospital in honor of his grandfather, but died before his plan was materialized. The plaque hanging in the hall honors both men in English and Chinese, reading, “In Memory of William L. and Clement C. Owen.”

A Western-style building with a total footage of around 1,435 meters squared (including the annex building), the monument is said to have been used as chapel and assembly room. Today, the building serves as the auditorium of the Christian College of Nursing. The white, two-story building features a lectern in one corner, with two columns of pews facing the lectern. The second floor balcony stretches along the two walls opposite the lectern.

◎ Travel information to meet Hallyu’s charm – movie “Love, Lies,”
In the film, So-yul and Yeon-hee come here to see the renowned singer Lee Nan-young perform. Owen Memorial Hall has a history as a venue for Christian gatherings, lectures, concerts, graduation ceremonies, and various cultural events in the region. Today, it continues to serve as a space for both religious and cultural gatherings.

Chonnam National University Museum (전남대학교 박물관)

9.4Km 2025-01-02

77 Yongbong-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju

The Cheonnam National University Museum showcases a variety of domestic and international works on history, anthropology, culture, and folklore, along with providing research materials. Initially established as a research center for the faculty and students, the museum has evolved into its current form since 2002. Visitors can explore exhibitions on diverse topics and immerse themselves in different cultures at the learning center of the museum.

Han Hee-won Art Museum (한희원미술관)

9.4Km 2023-01-25

27-6, Yangchon-gil, Nam-gu, Gwangju
+82-62-653-5435

Han Hee-won Art Museum is a small hanok art museum in the back alley of Yangnim-dong.
Painter Han Hee-won grew up in Yangnim-dong, where he was influenced as a painter. In July 2015, he purchased a small hanok between the House of Yi Jang-u and the House of Choe Seunghyo and transformed it into an art museum to preserve and show the spirit of love, comfort, and art in his hometown, Yangnim-dong. An art museum with a low threshold approaching citizens with a humble mind, Han Hee-won Art Museum is open to anyone. Feel free to visit, appreciate the paintings, and be comforted through art.

Geomok Hanjeongsik (거목한정식)

9.4Km 2024-02-13

3-6 Cheonbyeonjwa-ro 364beon-gil, Nam-gu, Gwangju
+82-62-672-0333

Geomok Hanjeongsik is a restaurant that specializes in Namdo-style hanjeongsik (Korean table d'hote). Offering a singular menu item, hanjeongsik, guests select their preferred price range and the number of diners, and the dishes are prepared accordingly. A unique feature of this establishment is the seasonal variety of side dishes, ensuring a different culinary experience with each visit. Emphasizing health, the restaurant avoids strong-tasting chemical seasonings. Set in a converted hanok (traditional Korean house), Geomok Hanjeongsik provides a traditional atmosphere, enhancing the dining experience.

House of Choi Seung-hyo (최승효가옥)

9.4Km 2023-03-08

29-4, Yangchon-gil, Nam-gu, Gwangju
+82-62-607-2332

The House of Choi Seung-hyo is a traditional residential building located on the southeastern slopes of Yangnimsan Mountain. The rectangular building is open to the east, has 8 kan (the space between two pillars) in the front and 4 kan to the sides, and is graced by a traditional hipped and gabled roof. Since the building was constructed in the 1920s, it offers a valuable glimpse into the architectural style of Korean houses at the end of the Japanese colonial period. Choi Sang-hyeon was an activist who offered his attic as a place of refuge for other activists.

Lee Jang-woo's House (이장우 가옥)

9.4Km 2024-12-04

21 Yangchon-gil, Nam-gu, Gwangju
+82-62-651-9020

Designated the first Gwangju Folk Material on March 20, 1989, Lee Jang-woo's House is an upper-class, tile-roofed house with a gate, storeroom, servants’ quarters, detached building, and main building. The building is estimated to have been constructed in 1899 and is overall a sturdy example of Korean architecture, well-preserved in its original state. The L-shaped main hall of the historic building is rather large and consists of (left to right) a wooden verandah, a small room, a hall, the main room, a kitchen, and another small room. The room doors are double doors with a sliding door on the inside and a hinged door on the outside. The hall also has partitions that can be hung up as necessary.

◎ Travel information to meet Hallyu’s charm - movie "Meet the In-Laws"
This hanok served as Hyeon-joon’s (played by Song Sae-byeok) family home in Jeolla-do in the movie "Meet the In-Laws." With its well-preserved architecture and traditional Korean garden, it captures the elegance and charm of early modern Korea.

Yangnim-dong Penguin Village Craft Street (양림동 펭귄마을공예거리) - Area information - Korea travel information