For better AND for worse: What’s the price of peace in Ihwa Mural Village?

One of my favorite sites in Seoul is Ihwa Mural Village. This neighborhood of tiny steep streets adjacent to Naksan Park is decorated with lots of amusing and imaginative street art. Add to that the area’s 180 degree views of the city, and you have a tourist attraction that I will run to see.

With Seoul being entirely devoid of short-term visitors, we had the place basically to ourselves. We wound our way up the tiny streets and took our time posing for silly photos. In 2010 a Korean reality-TV show was filmed in the village and created the “wings mural.” It and subsequent versions of it have attracted many tourists to the village.

We noticed, however, that one decorated staircase had been painted over. In the photo below you can just make out some of the mosaic artwork under gray paint. So the question is: why would someone paint over a beautiful piece of artwork? The answer goes back to the origins of the village itself.

This part of Ihwa-dong is located right inside the Seoul city walls, its houses tightly stacked up the steep landscape. It is one of the city’s so-called “moon villages,” or daldongne, named for the expansive views of the night sky. Ihwa-dong was born after the Korean War when many refugees and working-class people, often employed by the nearby garment and textile industries, struggled to find housing. Unable to afford to live in other parts of the city, they constructed their homes on these steep slopes. Later in the 1980s and 90s, the flatter areas of the city were also more attractive for redevelopment, and many high-rise apartment complexes were constructed there. Meanwhile, Ihwa was left behind. Its residents began to leave for greener pastures as the city around it rapidly modernized.

This neighborhood became Ihwa Mural Village as the result of a revitalization project by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2006. Thus the so-called Naksan Project was seen as a way to revitalize the neighborhood and perhaps even stave off its demolition. The 2006 project took about six months. More than 70 artists created paintings and installation art that covered the walls, streets, homes, businesses, underpasses and schools of the village. As a result of the project, people and businesses began to return to the neighborhood. New art collectives and new communal gardens sprang up.

The mural project was a great success, making Ihwa a new destination. However, there were downsides to becoming a destination. The once quiet village was now not-so-quiet. Certain murals like the wings mural mentioned above drew increasingly large groups of tourists. Some of the murals were and still are painted VERY near and sometimes right on the walls of people’s homes. To add insult to injury, the Ihwa residents apparently had little involvement in the 2006 project. I imagine it’s not so great suddenly to have busloads of tourists line up for photos just outside your front door every single day and then leave parting gifts– such as their trash- at your doorstep.

The popularity of the Ihwa Mural Village is a classic double-edged sword. The neighborhood was dying, but for some residents who had no say in the matter, its death might have been preferable. This conflict led to alternating rounds of mural removals and replacements. In 2016, the flower staircase was painted over by locals.

The tourism board has mounted a “silent campaign” to remind visitors to respect the residents. In more recent mural projects, local artists have made a more concerted effort to integrate residents into their projects. Nevertheless, some residents no doubt remain opposed to the artwork and the crowds that they bring.

These days it is quiet again in Ihwa, perhaps to the delight of some. COVID-19 has effectively ended tourism at least for now, so for us it was easy to quietly enjoy the murals and the scenery without feeling that we were disturbing the locals. But I wonder if this new kind of peace is really welcome to all those who live and work here now? Most of the numerous art galleries, shops and cafes that had sprung up in Ihwa are closed. Perhaps some may never reopen.

We were glad to support several businesses that were still serving customers. First we visited the Café Gaeppul and enjoyed iced coffee along with stunning city views.

We then took a walk through adjacent Naksan Park to take in eye-popping vistas embroidered by the historic Seoul city walls.

For lunch, we returned to Ihwa to enjoy a feast of Japanese-Korean food at Ohana. The proprietress served us extra portions of the banchan (side dishes) and complimented my enthusiasm (I think) as I wolfed down the amazing bipimbap featuring salmon sashimi. Emily had the naengmyeon (iced buckwheat noodles), flavored in a Japanese style that used a miso dashi instead of the traditional beef broth. We also had some sushi (nigiri-style) that made use of rice mixed with black sesame. Supporting the local economy has never been so delicious!

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Ihwa is a beautiful place with a complex history. Its revitalization has transformed it for better and for worse. COVID-19 has transformed it once again, also for better and for worse. We are grateful to have seen it while it is again, at least for a time, a peaceful village, but hope that it can endure the economic blow dealt by COVID-19.

To see more photos of our visit, see my Ihwa Mural Village and Naksan Park Flickr album.