Are you looking for a chance to recharge before the finals? The Jung District of Daegu City is recommendable for Kingos who may want to build beautiful memories in a unique and extraordinary site. The Sungkyun Times (SKT) would like to invite Kingos to the Jung District, which is filled with alleyways in which you can experience modern Korean history, delicious food, and a sentimental neighborhood.
Enjoying Alleyways as a Travel Area
Introduction to the Daegu Alleyway History Tour
The Daegu Alleyway History Tour is a tourism package that presents modern history preserved in the alleyways of Daegu City. The guided tour is managed for free every Friday and Saturday. For groups of over 10 people, guided tours are open on other days. Also, personal tours without the help of a tour guide are always available. Alleyway tours began in 2001 with Daegu’s civic organizations, but the tourism office of the Jung District took it over in 2008 and has since established the Daegu Alleyway History Tour. Only about 3,000 visited during the first year, but about 1.15 million tourists visited in 2020, proving its increasing popularity. While all five courses of the tour happen within the Jung District, each has a distinctive concept, such as Korean traditional medicine, modern culture, and Namsan-dong’s history. For instance, in Course 1, “Gyeongsang-gamyeong Dalseoung Street,” tourists can visit Dalseomun Gate and Dalseong Park under the theme of Dalgubeol, Daegu’s old name.
How to Visit
Kingos from the Humanities and Social Sciences Campus should take subway Line 4 at Hyehwa Station and get off at Seoul Station. Then, take the KTX train and get off at Dong-Daegu Station. From Dong-Daegu Station, take subway Line 1, get off at Banwoldang Station, and walk for about nine minutes to arrive at the Jung District. From the Natural Sciences Campus, Kingos should take subway Line 1 at Sungkyungwan University Station and get off at Pyeongtaek-jije Station. Then take the SRT train and get off at Dong-Daegu Station. The route is identical from then on.
Footprint of Modern History
1. Feeling Modern History in Course 2
For Kingos to enjoy the past modern culture properly, the SKT recommends Course 2. Course 2 starts at Cheongna Hill and finishes at the Chinese Residents Association on Dongsung Street. If you do not have enough time, and would only like to visit the core destinations, you should proceed exclusively at the beginning of the tour. The starting point, Cheongna Hill, was an open plain before the 20th century, but has been known as the “Montmartre of Daegu” since American missionaries set up their base here in 1898 and 1899. Just after the hill, you arrive at the March 1st Independence Movement Road, where Daegu’s March 1st Independence Movement broke out in 1919. This road comprises 90 stairs, and photos of the Daegu from the early 1900s and the Independence Movement are exhibited, giving a vivid description of the uprising. Within a five-minute walk from the stairs, you can see the historical houses of Lee Sang-hwa, the resistance poet famous for the poem Will Spring Come on the Lost Land, and Seo Sang-don, the leader of the National Debt Repayment Movement. The historical home of Lee Sang-hwa is meaningful as it was to be demolished by a road plan but was preserved by a citizens’ signature-gathering campaign and fund-raising. In Seo Sang-don’s house, visitors can glimpse the man’s unpretentious life and how he worked hard to restore national sovereignty.
2. Dongsung Street’s Representative Dishes
Jung District offers delicious dishes in their best restaurants for those who want to satisfy their hunger after their journey in the alleyways. First, the SKT recommends Shilla Restaurant, a local favorite famous for its spicy stir-fried octopus, which has been in the same location for the last 35 years. A whole octopus is served on a stone plate, which customers must cut with scissors. The overall price range is around ₩10,000; however, due to its popularity, there are always loads of people during mealtimes. For Kingos who may be looking for a restaurant with less waiting time, there is JunghwaBanjeom, which serves Daegu’s specialty, yaki udon. Yaki udon is a Daegu-style fried udon first invented in Daegu. It gained immense popularity for its spicy-sweet taste and for roasting the ingredients over high heat to preserve the textures and flavors. Among many other yaki udon restaurants, JunghwaBanjeom is recommendable since it was even featured in the famous Korean television program Baek Jong-won’s Top 3 Chef King.
Samdeok-dong Filled with Pleasant Charms
Introduction to Samdeok-dong
Samdeok-dong is a perfect place for Kingos who may want to take a break from the crowds of Daegu and enjoy a quiet but relaxing mood. You can arrive at Samdeok-dong by simply taking Subway Line 2 towards Banwoldang Station, getting off at Kyeongbuk University Hospital Station, and then taking a 15-minute walk. At the village, one can appreciate the infrastructure and architecture typical of the Japanese colonial period. Since Samdeok-dong is a popular neighborhood for its unique atmosphere, residents often paint murals to decorate the town’s old buildings beautifully. There are also various facilities, such as art museums and galleries, that you can visit.
Walking around Samdeok-dong
1. Kim Kwang-seok Road
The Kim Kwang-seok Road is a road that was designed to commemorate Kim Kwang-seok, a poet and a singer who is still an inspiration for many people even long after his death. In 2009, eleven teams of creators established the Kim Kwang-seok Road, as the singer had spent his childhood in Daegu. There are artworks inspired by his songs all over the alleys, and you can easily hear his songs when walking along the road. Moreover, the Gil Young LP Record Music Café, located by the road, allows visitors the chance to listen to Kim Kwang-seok’s songs through long-playing (LP) vinyl records. The rustic yet warm sensibility unique to that era will surely be an exceptional experience for Kingos. In the Kim Kwang-seok Story House, visitors can see traces of the singer through his relics and unreleased photographs. The Story House is arranged into four different zones, including the “Remembrance Zone,” which displays memorial writings, and “My Song Zone,” which presents Kim Kwang-seok’s performance history. Furthermore, through the “Kim Kwang-seok Road Memory Painting Program,” participants can draw postcards and make their own coffee mugs. How about creating your own unique souvenir through this program?
2. End Souvenirs of your positive Daegu Experience
As Samdeok-dong exudes a rather unique vibe, there are many different small accessory shops and cafés that you can stop by. Among them, Make a Pottery, a workshop selling handmade products is worth visiting. Kingos interested in small items such as ceramic cups and plates will surely be captivated. At the shop, you can purchase a ceramic cup with a unique handle, which is a popular souvenir among tourists. The SKT also recommends Alice Pocket, a scent diffuser store. Alice Pocket is famous for capturing Daegu’s outstanding features in its products. The shop has a cozy atmosphere and offers customers souvenirs inspired by Daegu’s most famous attractions, Seomun Market and River Island. The shop adds a souvenir-like feel to the products by including drawings of the landmarks on the packaging.
How about taking a break from schoolwork and building new memories to recharge after a year of hard work? A trip to Daegu would be an excellent opportunity to fill your body and mind with the warmth of many special memories. The SKT hopes you fill yourself with glistening reminiscences and memories during these final days of autumn.