How To Explore Ihwa Mural Village, Seoul's Artistic Enclave

Ihwa Mural Village was once what the Koreans would call a daldongnae. Literally translating as moon village, these neighbourhoods were typically located high up on hillsides, offering residents clear views of the moon.

During wartime Korea in the early ’50s, these villages were generally inhabited by refugees who couldn’t afford to live in the more desirable parts of town. Residents lived in slum houses built with whatever came to hand. Food was sparse, and clean water was limited. While these daldongnae offered a perfect vantage point for stargazing, they usually came at the cost of a steep, difficult and oftentimes dangerous climb.

In the five decades following the Korean war, life improved significantly for Seoul residents, even for those living in daldongnae. As the economy recovered, many inhabitants flocked to other parts of Seoul, and a lot of these neighbourhoods emptied out, including Ihwa. The exodus had turned the village into a ghost town. But in 2006, a government initiative changed Ihwa’s fate.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism launched the Art in City Project. A collection of over 70 murals started springing up around the city, painted by South Korean artists depicting people, animals and cartoon imagery. Ihwa Mural Village was the first of its kind in Korea, inspiring other cities (most notably Gamcheon Culture Village near Busan) to use art to attract visitors.

These colourful murals helped to reinvigorate Ihwa Village; cafés and shops sprang up shortly after these murals were erected, injecting some much needed income into the local economy. But the transition phase wasn’t easy for locals. They hadn’t been consulted about the murals or the plans to increase tourism to their neighbourhood. And after a few years, many residents began to tire of visitors traipsing past their homes and taking photos.

So extreme was the backlash that a silent campaign saw locals paint over several popular murals in the village, including an image of Koi Carp painted upon a flight of stairs. While many of these images have been replaced, the resistance brought to light the difficulties of modern-day tourism.

For that reason, we’d recommend following these guidelines to ensure you and the locals both enjoy the neighbourhood: don’t open doors or walk through gates uninvited; avoid capturing the locals in your photos; and support the area by making a purchase in a local shop or café.