Many students go to Hongdae, Shinchon, and Daehangno to hang out with their friends or to enjoy culture. However, they have to take a subway or bus at least 20 minutes to go to the city center, because our school is far from the central commercial districts. But hot places are not always in the city center. Many of them are placed where you might pass when going to and from school. Hidden treasures around Pyeongchang-dong are waiting for your visit. Now, what about going off to Pyeongchang-dong instead of noisy, crowded Hongdae or Shinchon?

■Art Tour at Pyeongchang-dong
Get off the bus at Lotte Apartment station. Pyeongchang-dong is just past Bugak Tunnel. This area is known for not only luxurious detached houses but for art galleries and museums.

-Total Museum of Contemporary Art (TMCA)
Turn right when you see the signboard for the Total Museum of Contemporary Art and go up the hill for 5 minutes. You will find the Total Museum of Contemporary Art just one minute walking distance from Gana Art Space.
TMCA has been committed to presenting the works of current foreign and Korean artists. You will enjoy seeing the structure of the museum in addition to seeing the artworks. The museum, which won the ‘Architecture Award of the Year’, has a mysterious, beautiful atmosphere that time seems to make time stand still. It is now holding a solo exhibition titled “Asian Protocol”, a show of internationally renowned artist Antoni Muntadas. This exhibition deals with the cultural similarities and differences between three Asian countries: Korea, Japan, and China. The images, texts and videos are displayed under each topic such as waiting in line, sitting at a table in a resaurant, and tying a necktie, with more to come. “This exhibition does not show pretty paintings and sculptures. It will throw questions at the audiences. People can see the three Asian countries through 43 keywords, such as politics, society, culture, diplomacy, and so on,” said curator Natalie Boseul Shin in an interview with the Review.
The exhibition runs until October 19. For more information, visit www.totalmuseum.org.

■History Tour at Segeomjeong Area -Segeomjeong
When you get off the bus at Segeomjeong and Sangmyung University or when you walk down to Sangmyung University for 35 minutes from TMCA, you can see a pavilion on the big rock at the Hongjecheon Stream. It was built in 1748, during the reign of King Injo and the current pavilion was restored in 1977 based on the painting of Gyeomjae Jungseon, a prestigious painter of the Joseon Dynasty. The name Segeomjeong means “a pavilion for washing swords and praying for peace”. The name came from the story that rebel forces conspired a plot to enthrone King Injo at this pavilion, and after the revolt, they washed their swords there. It is adjacent to a place that made paper, so after writing the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, the work of washing the paper was done to erase or edit the words at Segeomjeong.

-Hongjimun Gate and Tangchundaeseong Fortress
On the opposite side of Segeomjeong, there’s Hongjimun Gate and Tangchundaeseong Fortress. Hongjimun is a gate of the Tangchundaeseong Fortress. The name of the fortress, Tangchundaeseong originated from the fact that it was near King Yeonsangun’s place for feasting and entertainment, ‘Tangchundae’. The fortress was built in 1718, during the Joseon Dynasty in order to protect the capital, Seoul. Alongside the fortress, the clear stream Hongjechun passes by, and beautiful trails pass under the fortress. Walking along Tangchundaeseong offers a picturesque view, especially in autumn.

When you want to calm your mind and heal your body, take a bus to Pyeongchang-dong to take a break at these cultural and historic places. Their locations are very close to school, so you can go during your long free periods. Enjoy the pleasure of finding the hidden hot spots in Pyeongchang-dong soon!

For more information or an English map, visit www.jongno.go.kr.

yjkwon1993@kookmin.ac.kr