“I’m having déjà vu,” said Chi, my wife. We were in slightly antiquated room whose contents included pieces of lacquered furniture, a rotary phone, a CRT TV. And an old sewing machine. It was a facsimile of the kinds of multipurpose living quarters that many middle-class Seoulites (Seoul Museum) occupied during the decades of postwar economic growth. That turned South Korea into one of the world’s most developed nations. But for Chi, it was a portal back to when she was six and living in her grandfather’s Seoul apartment before her move to the States.
Our family was visiting Donuimun Museum Village, a full city block of traditional hanoks and more modern structures that is now a time capsule of Seoul history and culture from the 1890s to the 1990s. The free museum is named for the old western gate of the Seoul Fortress Wall. Which stood nearby until the Japanese colonial government demolished it in 1915. As Meggie Yu, our seemingly omniscient guide from InsideAsia Tours. Explained, these buildings were themselves slated for demolition to make way for a neighborhood park until the city, recognizing their historical value. Changed course and established Donuimun in 2017. The museum continues to expand; its latest addition focuses on clothing, including traditional costumes that guests can rent.
Meggie led us from one corner of village to another. Challenging kids to come up with a question about Korea she couldn’t answer. (Our son eventually struck gold with “How many buildings are there in Seoul?”) In an airy hanok, the artist Dobong taught us how to write our names using Hangul calligraphy. In the Village Yard, Meggie explained how to play jegichagi, a Hacky Sack–like outdoor game widely beloved in Korea. Several dads dazzled their children with their footwork. (I was not among them.)
For lunch, we ducked into Snack Bar for School, a cafeteria-style space like the ones students once tumbled into after finishing their classes to load up on kimbap and tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes). Nearby we found a mini-museum devoted to the history of makgeolli, the traditional Korean fermented rice wine that young Koreans are increasingly mixing with Sprite. (We tried it that way—pretty good!) One of the most entertaining parts of Donuimun is a cluster of humdrum buildings separated by steep, crooked alleys with exhibits that capture the postwar rise of South Korea’s robust culture industry. Here you’ll find a pocket-size cinema, a comic-book shop, a music lounge. And a video game arcade decorated with neon Pac-Man flourishes. There’s also an old barbershop and an ’80s-style wedding-hall photo studio, where we gamely posed for a family portrait.
This article appeared in the September/October 2023 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.
