Jeonju Seonosong Art Village: An Urban Regeneration Site Where 20 Rooms of Seonmi Village Were Transformed

How Seonmichon’s 20 Rooms Became Seonosong Art Village

Seonosong Art Village is an area where the former red-light district ‘Seonmichon’ in Seonosong-dong, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, was transformed through cultural urban regeneration. The 20 rooms that once hosted illegal prostitution have been converted into exhibition halls covering Seonmichon’s history and human rights, cafés, bookstores, rooftop gardens, and more.

Jeonju City began closing Seonmichon’s prostitution businesses in stages in 2014, and government press materials record that the closures were completed in June 2021. From 2015, vacant and abandoned buildings were purchased and developed into cultural and arts spaces; as of 2021, a total of 7.4 billion won had been invested in the Seonosong Art Village project.

What to Know First About the Visiting Area at 39 Gwonsamdeuk-ro

The address to use for visits is 39 Gwonsamdeuk-ro, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, Jeonbuk State. Seonosong Art Village is not a paid exhibition hall contained in a single building, but a complex cultural space made up of connected facilities and alleys; Jeonju’s official tourism information does not provide unified operating hours or a centralized ticket office for the entire area.

Therefore, rather than proceeding by purchasing a “Seonosong Art Village admission ticket,” visitors should check whether the doors of individual facilities are open. No unified admission fee for the entire area has been announced, and public sources do not confirm whether photography is prohibited, which areas restrict access, whether viewing through glass walls is possible, whether payment is cash-only, or whether English information and audio guides are available.

A Practical Plan When Starting from Jeonju Station or the Express Bus Terminal

When traveling from Seoul to Jeonju, Jeonju’s official tourism information indicates that the journey takes approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes by KTX, and explains that KTX trains to Jeonju run much more frequently from Yongsan Station than from Seoul Station. If you take an express bus, the destination is Jeonju Express Bus Terminal.

The official stop names, bus route numbers, subway exits, and walking times from Jeonju Station or Jeonju Express Bus Terminal to Seonosong Art Village are not provided. For first-time foreign visitors, entering the destination address, “39 Gwonsamdeuk-ro, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, Jeonbuk State,” into a taxi app is safer than trying to guess transfer information.

Unexpected Museum, Open from 10 a.m., and Two Parking Spaces

Unexpected Museum is a hub for exhibitions and cultural and artistic programs created through collaboration between local artists and residents. Its address is 3-6 Mulwangmeol 2-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, and its telephone number is 063-287-1300. It is open from 10:00 to 17:00 and closed on Mondays and public holidays.

The first floor has parking and restrooms, with space for two cars; the second floor is an exhibition space. Even if you arrive by car, the facility is only large enough for two vehicles, so it should not be considered a parking lot for all visitors to the area. Information about public parking for the entire Seonosong Art Village and parking fees has not been provided.

An Old Former Prostitution-Business Building at 11 a.m. at Mulgyeol Seosa

Mulgyeol Seosa is a bookstore created by repurposing an old building once used as a prostitution business. The bookstore is run by seven young artists active in Jeonju. Its central concept is to transform the building into a space for local art and books by introducing a new function rather than erasing its former use.

Its address is 9-6 Mulwangmeol 2-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, and its telephone number is 010-7473-0296. It is open from 11:00 to 19:00 and closed every Monday and on public holidays, so the doors may still be closed if you arrive early in the morning.

How to Read the 13 Small Rooms at the Nosong News Museum

Nosong News Museum is a village history museum exhibiting stories of Nosong-dong residents, local history, and artworks by artists who drew on these materials. The first floor has a residents’ gallery and community space, along with a display and sales area for residents’ donated items, artworks, antiques, and handicrafts.

The second floor has 13 small rooms. Each contains spaces for art, painting, and video works, as well as a room displaying messages of encouragement from nearby elementary, middle, and high school students. There is also the “Room of Poet Shin Seok-jeong,” honoring Shin Seok-jeong, regarded as a pioneer of Korean lyrical poetry, along with archival spaces for “Nosong News” and “Nosong Documentary 21.”

Its address is 43 Gwonsamdeuk-ro, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, Jeonbuk State, and its telephone number is 063-281-2680. Since individual operating hours and admission fees are not confirmed in the available information, visitors who definitely want to see all 13 small rooms should call before setting out.

Dasibom at 10 a.m. on Weekdays and Gender-Equal Jeonju at 9 a.m.

Jeonju Upcycling Center Dasibom is a citizen-sharing platform that opened in June 2021 and displays 100 books on upcycling and resource circulation. Its address is 200-5 Girin-daero, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, and its telephone numbers are 063-231-6600~6601. It is open from 10:00 to 18:00 on weekdays.

Dasibom is closed during Seollal, Chuseok, and public holidays designated by law. Gender-Equal Jeonju is the fifth prostitution-business building purchased by Jeonju City as part of the closure of Seonmichon; it was converted into a platform for women’s rights, gender equality, culture, and the arts. Its address is 7 Mulwangmeol 3-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, Jeonbuk State, its telephone number is 063-273-5050, and its operating hours are 09:00–18:00 on weekdays.

City Garden of Memory and the Creative Hub Amazing Art Site

City Garden is a park created at the center of Seonmichon. It is introduced as a place where citizens can pass through and rest, as well as a space for memory and human rights. Its address is 224 Girin-daero, Wansan-gu, Jeonju. Rather than visiting it on the assumption that it operates like an indoor exhibition venue with set hours and a ticket office, consider it a place to explore together with the park and surrounding facilities.

Amazing Art Site is an arts hub comprising creative-activity spaces, exhibition spaces, and a cultural café. Its address is 63-1 Gwonsamdeuk-ro, Wansan-gu, Jeonju. The first floor has a cultural café and parking for four cars; the second floor has an arts collaboration space and offices; the third and fourth floors each have three creative-activity rooms; and the fifth floor has classrooms and meeting rooms.

The Seonosong Art Village team can be reached at 063-281-5320. Since publicly listed operating hours differ by facility, and information about the recommended total visiting time, wheelchair and stroller accessibility, slopes, stairs, and ground conditions has not been confirmed, travelers with limited mobility should first narrow down which facilities to visit by telephone.

Four Things First-Time Foreign Visitors May Easily Miss

First, no unified sightseeing route or combined ticket for viewing all of Seonosong Art Village at once has been announced. Second, the hours differ: Unexpected Museum is open 10:00–17:00, Mulgyeol Seosa 11:00–19:00, Dasibom 10:00–18:00 on weekdays, and Gender-Equal Jeonju 09:00–18:00 on weekdays.

Third, Unexpected Museum has parking for two cars, while Amazing Art Site has parking for only four; overall parking fees have not been made public. Fourth, the availability of English information and audio guides, photography restrictions, reservation requirements, and cash payment policies at individual facilities has not been confirmed. Do not assume that arriving during operating hours guarantees entry to every building; it is best to have the telephone numbers of the facilities you want to visit ready.

The official tourism information page is https://tour.jeonju.go.kr/index.jeonju?menuCd=DOM_000000112002004000. This place is not a tourist destination focused solely on Jeonju’s traditional architecture; it is closer to a field study in which visitors read the closure process that continued from 2014 through June 2021 and the cultural regeneration that followed from 2015 in today’s alleys and facilities.