Borimadang & Sihwa Village

On the slopes of Yudalsan above Mokpo Port, the hill of Seosan-dong is laced with lanes and staircases too narrow for a car. Poems by residents and local poets hang on the walls, which is why it is called Sihwa ("poem and picture") Village, and the open yard at the top of the hill is known as Borimadang ("barley yard"). Yeonhee's Supermarket from the film 1987 is in these alleys.

A hillside village above the sea

Seosan-dong is a classic fishing neighbourhood on the hill directly behind Mokpo Port. From Borimadang at the top, rooftops step down the slope towards the harbour, the sea and the islands beyond, and at dawn you can watch fishing boats heading out. One story says the name comes from a barley field that once covered the hilltop; another says it was the yard where barley was threshed.

Many buildings in the village look much as they did decades ago. Under Japanese rule there was a red-light district for Japanese residents at the foot of the hill, and one building from that time still stands. An urban regeneration project has tidied up the alleys, but this is still a residential neighbourhood, so please keep that in mind.

Lanes of poems

The poetry alley was decorated with poems written by Seosan-dong residents and by about ten poets from Mokpo who wrote about the neighbourhood. Woodblock prints carrying the poems and pots of flowers are tucked between the houses, along with murals of sea fishing, boats and old village scenes. Reading a poem at a time as you climb the steep steps, you slowly get a sense of how the people here have lived with the sea.

Yeonhee's Supermarket and the air-raid shelter

• Yeonhee's Supermarket: in 1987, the film that follows events from the death under torture of a 22-year-old student and the attempt to cover it up to the June Democratic Struggle of 1987, this is the shop where Yeonhee, the university freshman played by Kim Tae-ri, lives with her mother and uncle. The tiny shop of about 18 m² is still stocked with 1980s snacks, household goods, coal briquettes and a newspaper from 1987. It opened to visitors in February 2018 and admission is free. The shop is so small that only about five people fit inside at once, so expect a short wait at weekends.
• Air-raid shelter: behind the shop is a tunnel about 31 m long, dug by forced labour at the end of the Pacific War to shelter from Allied air raids. It was built for the Japanese who lived nearby and is recognised as a site of forced mobilisation and a Pacific War relic.
• Baekyang Laundry: an old laundry opposite the shop has been restored. It sells "snacks of memory" on an honour system, with no one behind the counter.

Tripto tips

• Getting there: the village is about 1.5 km southwest of Mokpo Station as the crow flies. You can walk, but the last part is uphill, so many people take a taxi to the bottom of the village and walk up.
• Hours and fees: the village and alleys are open at all times and free. There is parking and there are toilets. Opening hours for Yeonhee's Supermarket differ between sources, so check with Mokpo's tourist information before you go.
• Time needed: 60–90 minutes covers the alleys, Borimadang and Yeonhee's Supermarket.
• When to go: late afternoon, when low light falls across the harbour, is best for photos. The stairs are steep, so avoid the midday heat in summer.
• Etiquette: you walk right past people's front doors, so keep your voice down and do not look into or photograph open gateways.
• Combine it with: Annex 2 of the Mokpo Modern History Museum, Kyungdong Cathedral and the song monument to Lee Nan-young's "Tears of Mokpo" are all about 600 m away, and Yudalsan is close by, making an easy day in Mokpo's old town.