Art and Nature in Seogwipo City, Seogwipo, South Korea

Jeju City was our home base for the six days we were in Jeju, but we did not confine ourselves within its boundaries. We ventured south to Seogwipo City, just an hour and a half by bus (we took Bus 281, 1150 krw per way), for some art and nature.

In 2018, a drawing on a piece of foil captured my attention in Busan Museum of Art, and the artist's name-Lee Jung Seop-stuck in my brain. Lee Jung Seop spent the year 1951 in Seogwipo City, and the city has dedicated a street to him. On this street is the house he lived in and an art gallery of his works.

Lee Jung Seop Street (and the alleys branching from it) is, not surprisingly, full of art, be it on the walls or on the ground.

The Lee Jung Seop Gallery has two floors. On the first floor is the permanent exhibit of Lee Jung Seop's life and artworks, and a gift shop. I was most fascinated by Lee Jung Seop's art on foil.

On the second floor is a changing exhibit. Because 2019 (the year we visited) was the year of the pig, it showcased pig-themed artworks.

During WWII, Lee Jung Seop and his family (he had a Japanese wife and two sons) fled the war and stayed in Seogwipo City in 1951 where they lived in a room in a house owned by Song Tae Ju and Kim Soon Bok. Now, the house is open to the public and is free to view. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).