[Cultural Excursion] 'From Anam to Haengdang: Exploring Seoul's Urban Fabric'

TITLE:
From Anam to Haengdang: Exploring Seoul’s Urban Fabric

LEADER: Matt VanVolkenburg

DATE: Saturday, March 21, 2026. 1:00pm to 5:00pm

DESTINATION: Anam-dong to Haengdang-dong

COST: KRW 25,000 for Members; KRW 30,000 for Non-members

MEETING POINT: EXIT 1 of Anam Station (안암역, #639, Subway Line 6). At 1:00PM.

REGISTRATION: RSVP by March 19 (Thursday) with payment of the fee via bank transfer. Please register one RSVP at a time.

RSVP: https://forms.gle/CbtjCTL6eAXkAQ7L8

☞Payment to be remitted to the following account:
SHINHAN BANK ACCOUNT # 100-026-383501 (RAS-KB)

*Reservation is not confirmed until payment has been received by RAS Korea in advance of the event.

The area northeast and east of Dongdaemun was first incorporated into the city of Seoul in 1936, and it was during this period that urbanization began, mostly in the low-lying areas and along streams. Places like Gaeunsa Temple and Seonnongdan Altar predated this process, while other sites, like Seongdong train station or the site of the 1940 Chosen Industrial Exposition have come and gone in the meantime. What stands today in this area are a variety of neighbourhoods featuring many different building types, and this walk will focus on exploring as many urban textures as possible.

Beginning at Anam Station, we will take a short walk north to Gaeunsa Temple and Botasa Temple, the latter of which hosts a Goryeo-era seated Bodhisattva statue carved into the hillside. From there we will head south to a museum dedicated to the Seonnongdan Altar, which was dedicated to the worship of the mythical emperors of ancient China who introduced agriculture to the people; it is also related to the origin of the name of Seolleongtang soup. From there we will walk to Jeongneungcheon stream and enjoy the flora and fauna along the stream before passing the site of the former Seongdong train station and walking through a neighbourhood of hanoks dating to the 1930s. From there we pass through an area of hanoks and row housing from the 1960s and 1970s, take in the site of brand new 60-story apartments built near Cheongnyangni Station, and then explore Yongdu-dong, which hosted the 1940 Chosen Industrial Exposition before becoming home to train repair garages prior to its reconstruction as a neighbourhood of villas in the mid-1970s.

After taking a break at Yongdu Park, we will take a short bus ride south and see the remains of the Gyeongseong Suburban Train line, which ran from Dongdaemun to Ttukseom between 1930 and the mid-1960s, walk through an area with housing dating from the 1930s to the present, take in the Wangsimni New Town, walk through a golmok (alleyway) neighbourhood full of murals painted for local children, and pass through the Haengdong Apartments, built when the hillside area was redeveloped in the late 1990s. The walk will end at Haengdang Station (Line 5).

This walking excursion will set off at 1:00 pm from exit 1 of Anam Station (안암역, #639, Subway Line 6). This tour will involve over 6 km of walking on mostly flat terrain (with a break and short bus ride in the middle), so comfortable walking shoes are recommended. Participants may join Matt afterwards for a coffee or an early dinner (not included in the excursion fee) nearby.