TacoCat’s Travels #256 (Seoul): Finding Friends and Art in Insadong 🎨

August 2024 · 7 min read · Seoul

Hey Hive!

If you missed the last few posts, I've been sharing about our first trip to Seoul back in Nov 2022! We were waiting post-covid for everyone to go on their holidays before taking a big one and we finally decided to go on our honeymoon! It's also our first time experiencing Fall so we were double excited!

Last week, we started our final day in Seoul exploring more of Myeongdong! There is a very fancy cathedral right in the middle of Myeongdong where we were staying that we've been meaning to check out and it didn't disappoint!

There was also a really cool temple called Jogyesa Temple that is apparently very popular in the area that we had to visit it too. We even managed to buy some yummy red bean pastry snacks here!

Neither of us are religious but we make it a point to visit these places just to admire the architecture and history at the very least. We always make sure to be respectful when we do visit though.

Anyway, on with the show we go!

16 Nov 2022. Wednesday.

After we were done visiting the temple, we didn't really have much else planned for our final day so we took a stroll.

We didn't really want to go out too far since we also wanted to go shopping for souvenirs later. It was nice to just enjoy one last walk around the city though.

Seoul is a dynamic city bursting with life and energy. From its bustling street markets to its tranquil palaces, every corner offers a unique blend of traditional culture and modern flair. Whether you're savoring mouthwatering street food, exploring cutting-edge technology, or immersing yourself in ancient history, Seoul captivates every traveler with its endless charm.

We wound up in this little youth cultural hub in Insadong where we were greeted by our favourite LINE Friends in traditional Korean outfits!

We didn't even expect to see them here so this was a pleasant surprise! The shop was just behind the statues too, so we immediately went in to check it out.

It was a surprisingly big character store with two levels full of merchandise! There was even a huge statue of Sally right by the entrance to greet us!

We like to think it was fate that Sally was the one to greet us since she's our favourite character of the bunch!

There were shelves upon shelves of merchandise of all the LINE Friends characters in varying styles, but as with other LINE Friends stores we've seen they also had products with the characters from BT21. It makes sense though since it's a collab project between LINE and BTS.

We're not BTS fans or fans of the BT21 characters though. Personally, I think they look a little strange and I think the LINE Friends look cuter.

The second level of the store had less LINE merchandise and more random characters from various franchises like Minions, Pokemon and popular anime series.

It seemed like a scam with this being a LINE Friends store but the actual LINE Friends products taking up less than half the shelves.

They did have some nice wall art separating the two floors though, including this photo spot!

There was also a smaller Brown statue that we had to get a picture with!

We had seen most of the merchandise here before, but there were a few that were unique like this set of Sally golf balls that looked like an egg carton! I thought it was genius and I would've bought it if either of us played golf.

The LINE Friends store is located within this compound in Insadong with this building of various antique and handicraft stores.

This building is called Ssamziegil Shopping Complex, which I've seen consistently tops the lists of must-see destinations. This unique shopping hub offers a delightful blend of traditional and modern Korean culture. With its whimsical spiral pathway, you'll find an array of boutique shops, artisan crafts, and quaint cafes, all adding to the lively atmosphere.

I am an artist of sorts, so it made sense to visit this place if at the very least to simply soak in the artistic vibe. Ssamziegil is definitely unique with its overall design and is quite an enchanting spot compared to the professional (and somewhat boring-looking) office buildings.

Ssamziegil is a vibrant, multi-level shopping haven featuring over six floors brimming with boutique shops, artisan crafts, and charming cafes. It's the perfect spot to explore unique finds and savor delightful treats in a picturesque setting.

After checking the floor guide, we were curious about the Insa Central Museum in the basement floor. We had to walk around the back of the building to go downstairs.

Most of the floors seem to be food though, but we saw there was an art gallery and museum downstairs though so we thought to head there first.

There were quite a few handicraft stores here but it was definitely more muted-looking compared to the colourful designs we saw outside.

I expected this place to be even more colourfully-decorated if possible but I guess it needs to be bright for people to see the products.

We found a charming little art gallery filled with vibrant paintings, likely crafted by talented local artists.

After seeing the handicraft stores here we figured the rest of the floors would be the same, if not restaurants so we left Ssamziegil and decided to walk along the Insadong Cultural Street instead.

We chanced upon this store that seemed to specialise in calligraphy tools and even had paintings on display probably using their brushes and ink! It looked really cool and although I've never done calligraphy or painted with those brushes I'm sure it takes a lot of effort to learn how to do it effectively.

Even on an ordinary Wednesday afternoon, the street buzzed with life and energy, creating an atmosphere that's vibrant and alive.

We chanced upon another art gallery called GuGu Gallery where I think a special art exhibition was being held. Initially we were thinking we might need tickets for it but were glad to see that it was free entry.

Unfortunately I didn't get the artist's name but I liked the variety of paintings we saw in the gallery. They might've been from different artists but there were some really nice pieces in there, ranging from landscapes to characters, animals and florals in various styles.

In the heart of Insadong Street, we stumbled upon a hidden gem—an intriguing basement museum that echoes the whimsical charm of trick art and illusion exhibits we've encountered in our travels. This quirky space invites you to challenge your perception with playful installations that blur the lines between reality and imagination.