Ikseon Dong Hanok Village is a very interesting place. Located in Jongno, the center of Seoul, Ikseon Dong Hanok village is a place bustling with life with all of its cafes and shops. The place also has some historical significance which makes it a good place to experience Korean culture and a bit of its history.
A brief history of Ikseon Dong Hanok Village
During the Japanese colonial era of Korea, land ownership in Korea was greatly changes. The purchases made by Japanese people have reduced the number of private properties with 35% of owned land belonging to the Japanese.
And with the increase of Seoul’s population, a lot of Koreans failed to find houses to live in. Thankfully, Korea’s first modern architect Jeongsekwon or Mr. Jeong, bought a large portion of land. He then built 30 square meter hanoks which later would be known as Ikseon Dong Hanok Village. A village for the common people who could not afford homes during those hard times.
The village wasn’t really anything special and eventually residents began to move out as Korea prospered.
Eventually smart businessmen and entrepreneurs saw this as an opportunity. They bought the empty houses and started shops and restaurants in the area. The bustling businesses eventually became so famous that the entire village became a tourist spot.
Why you should visit Ikseon Dong Hanok Village
Ikseon Dong Hanok Village is one of Korea’s oldest Hanok building being built before the 1930s.
But despite being a very old town, Ikseon Dong Hanok Village wasn’t popular before. In fact, it's only starting to become an attraction thanks to the help of entrepreneurs and young artists who opened up shops, restaurants, and businesses in the area. You’ll see how a business mindset can turn an old village into a tourist spot!
This means, Ikseon Dong Hanok Village is filled with hidden treasures that are yet to be discovered. You’ll also find unique shops and restaurants in the area which offer you affordable prices compared to the rest of Korea.
What to expect when going to Ikseon Dong Hanok Village
Of course expect to see lot of shops and items being sold. Expect to see delicious food being served, and you’ll surprisingly expect yourself to come back here again.
This is the what most people will likely see in Ikseon Dong Hanok Village. However, if you look closely enough, you’ll see hundreds of years of Korean history and culture here especially because many cultural places are near Ikseon Dong Hanok Village. I’m talking about places like the Gyeongbok Palace and Insadong.
Going to Ikseon Dong Hanok Village
By Train
Price: 1300 KRW from Seoul Station.
Going to Ikseon Dong Hanok Village is easy. Just take a train going to Jongno 3-ga Station (Line 5) and go out to Exit 6. Since there is a elevator around Exit 6 if you have many luggages you can take elevator in there. From Exit 6, you can see restaraunt named dongbanmisik and just next to it, there is a small alley. That's the entrance of Hanok viallge. From the station, it takes a 5-minute walk to that destination.
By Taxi
Price: 6000-7000 KRW from Seoul Station
Of course, you can also take a taxi to go to Ikseon Dong Hanok Village. It’s more expensive but at least you’ll save some time.
Places to visit on Ikseon Dong Hanok Village
When entering Ikseon Dong Hanok Village, you’ll see a lot of shops and restaurants there.
The streets are very crowded so you’ll have a hard time taking pictures of shops.
Honestly almost all the restaurants and shops in the area are good. Business is competitive so the bad businesses are removed only to be replaced by better ones.
However, these are some places I personally enjoy in Ikseon Dong Hanok Village.
Gyeongyangsik 1920 is a restaurant known for its authentic Korean pork cutlet menus. Gyeongyangsik is a term referring to western restaurant in Japan which became popular in Korea in the late 70’s.
Asides from the food, the interior of the restaurant is very comfortable and soothing. And it does have a western style to it.
Uncle Videotown
What is Uncle Videotown?
Well the interesting name can be said the same fo the shop because Uncle Videotown is a interesting shop in Ikseon Dong Hanok Village. Uncle Videotown is a multipurpose shop that serves food while also being a cinema at the same time.
Uncle Videotown features multiple films with varying genres that change every two months.
Bring a date to the place, because they have private rooms for movie watching. ;)
Kukminhanbok Chabim
Kukminhanbok Chabim is a shop in Ikseon-dong which allows you to rent hanboks. Hanboks are semi-formal attires worn by people during the Joseon dynasty. They are beautiful and comes in many colors.
Of course the shop also style your hair to give you that authentic Joseon Korean look!
Any place that serves cheap but good beer
You’ll find many pubs in Ikseon Dong Hanok Village. A lot of them sell cheap but delicious beer. If you don’t mind dirty surroundings that is.
Ikseondong Ssal Sanghoe
Last but not the least we have Ikseondong Ssal Sanghoe. This place serves delicious hotteok, think of them as korean pancakes filled with various ingredients like peanut butter and jam.
This shop has a really long line, but it's worth it because this shop’s hotteok is longer and you have many flavors and ingredients to choose from. I mean they have pizza hotteok here!
Final words
There are many shops that I haven’t mentioned here. I mainly featured the shops that I liked and the ones that will bring your attention. I’m sure there are other interesting shops in Ikseon Dong Hanok Village. After all, people do say it's a hidden gem so you might find some “hidden gems” in this hidden gem.