A snack counter with a retro vibe in Donuimun Museum Village's movie theater

• ●The museum offers a glimpse into history, all the way to the Joseon era (1392-1910).

• ●The Venue revisits “relics” from more recent times

Seoul changes at such a rapid pace that the way neighborhoods once looked is quickly being forgotten after they have been uprooted and their residents lifestyles transformed. While the changes are mostly improving the quality of life, there is a growing interest in preserving parts of the city being erased – not just as exhibits in a museum but in a way that lets future generations know what it’s like to walk along those streets.

Donuimun Museum Village may well have been created for the precise purpose of maintaining the urban texture of a small corner of the city. Originally slated for demolition about a decade ago, this area – formerly known as Saemunan Village – instead became part of a massive preservation project. All of its buildings were heavily renovated but largely preserved in terms of their layout and scale. Visitors to the site can wander through the alleys and enter most of the houses, each of which has a unique exhibit inside.

The museum peers through history, all the way back to the Joseon era when this was a small community near the walled city’s western gate Seodaemun (also known as Donuimun). Donuimun History Museum sits inside two former restaurants where visitors can learn about the early history of the area. The uncovered ruins of the old palace wall that once enclosed nearby Gyeonghuigung are also visible here, and Donuimun Experience Center offers virtual reality goggles that convincingly take visitors back in time. 

There is also a great deal of information on the area’s early modern development, including the removal of the gate in 1915 during the Japanese occupation. One two-story house offers an exhibit on Frank Schofield and four other Canadians who witnessed and supported Korea’s struggle for independence.

But Donuimun Museum Village is not strictly about learning history; it also conjures nostalgia for more recent times. The retro-styled buildings house a small movie theater, a video game arcade, a manhwa bang that displays Korean comic books, and even old-fashioned restaurants.

There is also a small Hanok village of Joseon-style houses, where a variety of artisans sell their wares and offer arts and crafts classes.

Every corner of Donuimun Museum Village is crammed full of surprises waiting to be (re) discovered, and a look of wonder can be seen on the faces of guests of all ages as they wander through the old neighborhood’s alleys.

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