Former Belgian Consulate (SeMA Namseoul)

Step out of Sadang Station and, between tower blocks and a busy road, you will find a two-storey building of red brick and granite. It was built as the Belgian Consulate in the days of the Korean Empire, first stood in Hoehyeon-dong in central Seoul and was moved, piece by piece, to Namhyeon-dong in Gwanak-gu in 1983. Today it houses SeMA Namseoul, a branch of the Seoul Museum of Art, so you can walk through a 120-year-old building and see Korean modern sculpture for free.

History: from Hoehyeon-dong to Namhyeon-dong

Korea and Belgium signed a treaty of friendship and commerce in 1901, and when Consul General Léon Vincart took up his post, work began on a new consulate. The foundation stone gives 1903 for the start of construction and 1905 for completion. The site is where Woori Bank's headquarters stands today.

The consulate moved to Chungmuro in 1919. The building then served as offices for the Yokohama Life Insurance Company and as the residence of the Japanese naval attaché. After liberation the Korean navy's military police used it, and from 1970 it belonged to the Commercial Bank of Korea (today's Woori Bank). When the bank decided to build new headquarters on the site, the old building was dismantled and rebuilt at its present location in 1983. It had already been designated a national Historic Site in 1977.

In 2004 Woori Bank lent the building to the city free of charge, and that September it opened as the Namseoul branch of the Seoul Museum of Art.

What to see

• The exterior: one basement level and two floors in a symmetrical classical style. Red brick walls are trimmed with granite bands and columns, and verandas on stone columns run along both floors at either side of the front.
• The interior: a long corridor leads from the front door with rooms on either side, high ceilings, interior columns and original fireplaces. Visiting an exhibition means following the room layout of the old consulate.
• The Eternal Home of Kwon Jin-kyu: since 2023 the ground floor has shown a permanent display of works by Kwon Jin-kyu, a pioneer of modern Korean sculpture.
• Upper-floor exhibitions: the second floor hosts temporary shows of contemporary art, including an annual exhibition of a leading Korean sculptor.
• The sculpture lawn: the front garden of grass and trees gives the best view of the façade.

Tripto tips

• Opening hours: Tuesday–Friday 10:00–20:00; Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 10:00–18:00. Last entry one hour before closing.
• Closed: Mondays and 1 January. If a Monday is a public holiday, the museum opens.
• Admission: free.
• Getting there: Sadang Station, Line 2 Exit 6 (1-minute walk) or Line 4 Exit 4 (3 minutes). Buses 461, 641, 643, 5524, 5413, 5528 and 5530 stop at "Namseoul Nonghyup Namhyeon-dong Branch" or "Sadang 1-dong Gwanak Market".
• Parking: the museum has no car park; use the nearby Sadang public car park.
• Time needed: about 1 hour for the building and permanent display, 1.5 hours with the temporary show. It stays open until 20:00 on weekdays, handy for an after-work visit.