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Dongmyo Station is a transfer point on Seoul Subway Lines 1 and 6. “Dongmyo” in the English version of the station name is shortened from “Dongmyoap”, which can be translated as “in front of Dongmyo”. And “Dongmyo” can be translated as “east shrine” (and is itself shortened from “Donggwan-wangmyo”). It was constructed between 1599 – 1601 as a shrine to Guan Yu, a 3rd century Chinese military commander, funded by the emperor of the Ming Dynasty in China after assisting Korea in fighting off two Japanese invasions between 1592 and 1598. Three such shrines were constructed, but Dongmyo is the only one that remains standing.
We start our walk at Dongmyo Station Gate 8. We exit on to Jong-ro (“Bell Street”), pronounced and often spelled as “Jongno”, named for the big bell called Bosingak located a few blocks to the west, outside of Chonggak station. A few of my walks have crossed or followed other parts of Jong-ro, and the street gives its name to Jongno-gu (Jongno District). Dongmyo is in the southeast corner of the district.
Outside the station, we get a look around the area (00:57). The shrine, located on the southeast corner of the intersection (the direction we’re looking at 01:09), isn’t quite visible. Then we head west along Jong-ro.
This general look and feel of this area hasn’t changed much in the 30+ years that I’ve lived in Seoul. I’d be willing to bet that most of the buildings were standing when I first passed through the area in 1991. Dongmyo Station opened in the late 90’s with the opening of Line 6, and the brown “boxes” we see on the edge of the sidewalk to our left are a more recent addition. Some of them are currently empty, some are rented out by shops on our right, some by smaller vendors with no storefront. In years past, we would have seen items laid out on the sidewalk, or small portable stands vendors pushed out in the morning and pushed somewhere else at night, maybe a few licensed vendor boxes of an older design.
It’s not long before we encounter Gate 3 (05:04) of the sprawling Dongdaemun station (Seoul Subway Lines 1 and 4) and Gate 2 just a few meters beyond. On the backstreets in this area, you can find a few Indian and Nepali restaurants.
At 06:07, we can see Heunginjimun (“Gate of Rising Benevolence”, colloquially Dongdaemun (“Great East Gate”) not far ahead. We encounter Gate 1 of Dongdaemun Station (06:57) and get a better look at the gate on the other side.
At 08:30, we see part of the old Seoul City Wall. This area made an appearance in my Scenes From Seoul: The City Wall video. Just beyond, as we approach the intersection of Jong-ro and Yolgok-ro, we find Heunginjimun Park (09:22). There’s a walking trail that leads north from here to Naksan Park, Hansung University Station, and beyond.
On the other side of Yolgok-ro we pass Dongdaemun Station Gate 10 (11:48), many more shops, and then come to Jongno Flower Market, a collection of independent vendors with their flowers set up along a side street. We continue to see mostly older buildings and small, independent shops until we come to Jongno 5-ga Station (Seoul Subway Line 1) and end our walk at Gate 4.
The first two blocks of Jong-ro (1-ga and 2-ga) have undergone major redevelopment. For now, the rest of the street, especially the part we walk in this video, is a place where you can get a sense of a different time period.
ROUTE MAP:
META:
This video was filmed in the early afternoon of May 30, 2022, with an iPhone 11 on a DJI OM4 in 4K @ 60 fps. The temperature was around 24°C/75°F.
SEE ALSO:
My winter walk from Cheonggu Station to Dongmyo Station:
My walk from Bomun Station to Dongmyo Station:
My winter walk from Dongdaemun Station to Gwanghwamun Station
My walk from Jongno 3-ga Station to Gwanghwamun Station covers the first three blocks on the western end of Jong-ro:
Scenes From Seoul: The City Wall includes footage of the trail that goes through Heunginjimun Park and the area around the gate:
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Dongmyo Station Gate 8
00:50 Jong-ro (Jongno)
08:30 City Wall | Dongdaemun Gate | Yolgok-ro | Heunginjimun Park
11:25 Jong-ro (Jongno)
20:15 Jongno 5-ga Station Gates 3 & 4
LINKS:
Seoul Subway Lines 1 & 6
Jongno-gu
Dongmyo
Heunginjimun
Seoul City Wall
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