People Who Lived on This Land Long Before It Became Wealthy

Long before Seongbuk-dong became a wealthy enclave, a cultural-heritage collector, a resistance poet, an art historian, and a former gisaeng-turned-entertainment-house owner had all already settled into this same neighborhood.

Key takeaways

Jeon Hyeong-pil — known by his pen name Kansong, a renowned collector of Korean cultural artifacts — began buying land north of Seonjamdan in Seongbuk-dong starting in 1934, planning to build a museum. Fact Han Yong-un — the Buddhist monk, poet, and leading independence-movement figure known by his pen name Manhae (introduced earlier in this series) — built his residence, Simujang, here in 1933 with help from friends. Fact Art historian Choi Sunu, who later became director of the National Museum of Korea, moved into a hanok (traditional Korean house) here in 1976. Fact Kim Yeong-han, owner of the high-end entertainment house Daewongak, had also been running her establishment on this same site since long before. Fact

All of these figures settled on this land before it became a wealthy enclave in 1968. The "wealthy enclave" identity was layered on top of their presence much later.

What to look for on site

The timeline showing when each figure settled here, relative to the neighborhood's transformation into a wealthy enclave
Three very different kinds of settlement — cultural, resistance, and commercial
The layered history of this land that predates its wealthy-enclave identity

Editorial note

Don't lump these figures together as "famous residents of a wealthy enclave." Be clear that each settled here for a different reason, long before the wealth arrived.