Reading the Map of Exploitation in Jo Jeong-rae’s Arirang amid the Fields of Juksan-myeon, Gimje

The Stage of Arirang Established in Naechon and Oe-ri, Juksan-myeon, on October 10, 2012

Arirang Literary Village is a historical and cultural space located at 180 Hwachो-ro, Juksan-myeon, Gimje-si, Jeonbuk State. Gimje City states that the literary village opened on October 10, 2012. Jo Jeong-rae's epic novel Arirang depicts life during the Japanese colonial period and the liberation era, focusing on the residents of Naechon Village and Oe-ri Village, while the literary village recreates the novel's main settings as a physical space.

The reason this site was established in Gimje lies in the region's broad plains and history centered on rice farming. Gimje City materials explain that the Naechon area has long been a place of large-scale rice cultivation, while the literary village's official guide identifies rice and land as the region's main targets of exploitation. Therefore, this is not merely a filming set decorated to reproduce scenes from the novel; it is also a place for understanding the colonial economy surrounding farmland and rice.

Colonial Administration Represented by Four Buildings: the Police Substation, Township Office, Post Office, and Rice Mill

The modern-era exploitation institutions section of the literary village contains four buildings: a police substation, township office, post office, and rice mill. The official guide explains that these facilities represent institutions involved in exploitation during the Japanese colonial period and states that materials related to each institution and photographs from the era are displayed.

Along the route, the rice mill and township office should be viewed separately. The rice mill was connected to rice production and milling, while the township office and police substation were points where administrative and policing powers reached into rural life. Exhibits may only be viewed and must not be touched, and visitors must make mobile phone calls outside the exhibition rooms.

Even if you have not read the novel, it is easy to understand the site by starting with the on-site question, “Why did Japan target Gimje for exploitation?” Connecting the three elements of the broad Gimje and Mangyeong fields, land, and rice reveals that the arrangement of the facilities is more than a simple recreation of old buildings.

From Gamgol-daek to the Cha Deuk-bo House: Following the Characters of Naechon and Oe-ri

The Naechon and Oe-ri Village section includes spaces representing the homes and everyday settings of characters from the novel, including Gamgol-daek, Song Su-ik, Ji Sam-chul, Son Pan-seok, and the Cha Deuk-bo House. The Gimje Byeokgolje guide explains that this area was created to present, through storytelling, the lives of the protagonists who lived under exploitation during the Japanese colonial period.

Rather than quickly looking only at the exteriors of the buildings, it is better to proceed by checking each house name one by one. The area is designed to help visitors connect the process by which farmers lost their land and saw their livelihoods destabilized through the residential spaces of the novel's characters. According to the official introduction, the literary village is divided into the Promotion Hall, modern-era exploitation institutions, Naechon and Oe-ri Village, and Harbin Station.

Access for pets is restricted inside the literary village. Since outdoor and indoor exhibitions are combined, it is advisable to bring a hat and water in summer and an umbrella when moving between the houses on rainy days.

A Harbin Station Recreated at 60% Scale to Remember October 26, 1909

Harbin Station is a building restored at approximately 60% of the original size, based on an actual building from around 1910. The official guide presents the historical context of this space as the incident in which Ahn Jung-geun shot Ito Hirobumi at Harbin Station in China on October 26, 1909.

Be sure to also visit the two buildings in the immigrant housing section: a shingle-roofed house and a reed house. Gimje City explains that this area conveys the circumstances of people who had to leave their homes and become slash-and-burn farmers or migrate to Manchuria and Siberia because of policies including the Land Survey Project, the Rice Production Increase Plan, and the Rural Revitalization Movement.

Live Sketches at the History Experience Center operates on the second floor of Harbin Station. This program allows visitors to color Ahn Jung-geun, Yu Gwan-sun, and Yun Bong-gil and experience historical scenes on a 3D screen. It operates by advance reservation only, so before visiting, inquire about the schedule and available capacity at 063-540-2926.

Free Admission from 09:00 to 18:00; Avoid Mondays and January 1

Visiting hours are 09:00–18:00 every day, and admission is free. The closing days are every Monday and January 1; if Monday is a public holiday, the site closes the following day. It is safest to reconfirm before departure whether the facility closes during the Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays and whether group guided tours are available by calling 063-540-2926.

For a first visit, allowing 60–90 minutes is appropriate to see both the recreated outdoor village and the indoor exhibitions. Including the Live Sketches reservation experience or traditional games may require more than two hours. Official programs include experiences such as the traditional punishment devices juriteulgi, gonjang, and prison cells, as well as tuho, hoop rolling, ring tossing, archery, spinning tops, yut, and jegichagi; visitors can also try a millstone, mortar, A-frame carrier, and water carrier.

Although admission is free, it cannot be assumed that every experience is always available for free participation. In particular, Live Sketches, which is explicitly listed as requiring advance reservations, requires booking. For activities such as the rickshaw experience and modern costume experience, it is advisable to call and confirm the operating dates and whether groups can be accommodated.

Free Parking at 180 Hwachო-ro and the Gimje City Tour Route on Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays

Enter “Arirang Literary Village” or “180 Hwachო-ro, Juksan-myeon, Gimje-si, Jeonbuk State” into your navigation system. According to the official guide, parking is free. Visitors arriving by car can leave their vehicle in the parking lot and proceed in the order of the Promotion Hall, modern-era exploitation institutions, Naechon and Oe-ri Village, and Harbin Station to reduce backtracking.

If you are visiting using only public transportation, consider the Gimje City Tour's Agricultural Culture Course. The schedule states that it departs from Jeonju Hanok Village at 09:30, Moda Outlet at 10:10, and Gimje Station at 10:30 on Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, then visits Geumsansa Temple, Arirang Literary Museum, Byeokgolje, and Arirang Literary Village before arriving back at Gimje Station at 15:50. Since operating days, reservations, and fares may change, confirmation is necessary with the Gimje City Culture and Tourism Division at 063-540-3374.

Detailed official information could not be confirmed regarding wheelchair and stroller accessibility, accessible restrooms, or foreign-language guides. If mobility assistance is needed, it is advisable to contact 063-540-2926 before visiting and ask specifically about the parking location, indoor access, sloped sections, and eligibility for reserved experiences.

Understanding Gimje's Agricultural History by Combining Byeokgolje and Arirang Literary Museum on the Same Day

Although the literary village alone allows visitors to see its main facilities, combining it with Byeokgolje and Arirang Literary Museum is an effective way to gain a broader understanding of the novel's setting. The Gimje City Tour Agricultural Culture Course also connects Arirang Literary Museum, Byeokgolje, and Arirang Literary Village on the same day.

Byeokgolje is Historic Site No. 111. According to Gimje City information, the existing embankment is approximately 3 km long, the total length is 3.3 km, and about 2.6 km remains today. Visiting this ancient reservoir and the Mangyeong fields first helps explain the geographical background of why Gimje, a rice-producing region, became a major setting for Arirang.

This destination is better suited to travelers who want to explore Korea's modern and contemporary history, literature, and agricultural history together than to those seeking an attraction focused primarily on atmosphere. Because it deals with serious themes of colonial exploitation, migration, and the independence movement, families with children may want to briefly explain what the police substation and rice mill symbolize before focusing on the hands-on activities and deciding on a viewing order.