Name: [Cultural Excursion] 'Namsan's Remnants of Imperial Japan' with Matt VanVolkenburg
Start: 2025-11-15T13:30:00+09:00
End: 2025-11-15T17:00:00+09:00
Location: 숙대입구역

[Cultural Excursion] 'Namsan's Remnants of Imperial Japan' with Matt VanVolkenburg

TITLE: 'Namsan's Remnants of Imperial Japan'
LEADER: Matt VanVolkenburg
DATE: Saturday, November 15, 2025, 1:30-5:00PM
DESTINATION: Namsan
COST: W25,000 for RAS Korea Lifetime and Annual Members; W30,000 for Non-members
MEETING POINT: At the top of Exit 6 of Sookmyung Women’s University Station (숙대입구역) (#427, Subway Line No. 4)
RSVP by November 13 (Thursday) with payment of the fee via bank transfer. Please register one RSVP at a time.
RSVP: https://forms.gle/eVzjE7PTVJT5z2sj7
☞Payment to be remitted to the following account:
SHINHAN BANK ACCOUNT # 100-026-383501 (RAS-KB)
Reservation is not confirmed until payment has been received by RAS Korea in advance of the event.

SUMMARY:
Beginning in the 1890s, as Japan tightened its grip on the kingdom of Joseon, Japanese institutions were built along the northern slopes of Namsan, starting with their embassy in 1892 and soon followed by Waeseongdae Park and a Shinto shrine. Upon occupying Seoul at the beginning of the Russo-Japanese war, Japanese military commanders established their Korean garrison and military police headquarters in modern-day Pil-dong, on the site of Namsangol Hanok Village. After Japan’s victory in the war, it built a Government General Building near its embassy that would stand until its better-known replacement was completed in 1926 in front of Gyeongbok Palace. In 1925 they established the Chosen Shinto Shrine, once known for hundreds of steps climbing a hill where Seoul’s city wall had previously stood. Wanting to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the assassination of Ito Hirobumi, a temple named after him was established on the grounds of Jangchungdan, a shrine that had been established by Emperor Gojong in 1900 to honor the loyal subjects who died when Queen Min was assassinated, and the gate of this temple was stolen from a Korean palace. This walk will visit these places and more to explore not only the colonial history of Korea, but also to reflect on the use of many of these spaces by South Korea’s authoritarian leaders from the 1950s to the 1980s, as well as the way patriotic memorials have been created since.
Starting out from Sookmyung Women’s University Station, we will visit the Namyeong Arcade, a Japanese market building from the 1920s, see the remaining stairs of the Defense of Nation Shrine built in 1943 which enshrined the spirits of deceased Japanese soldiers, and then proceed to the location of a shootout between an independence activist and Japanese police in 1923. After taking note of the nearby site of the Bank of Chosen’s employee housing, with the help of an elevator we will ascend to the location of Chosen Shinto Shrine built in 1925, where we will see its stairs, the remains of the city wall demolished to make way for the Shrine, and look down into a bomb shelter dug into the side of the mountain. From there we will begin our descent on to the north side of Namsan, passing by the stone marker for Hanyang Park, established in 1902, and visiting the site of several earlier Japanese Shinto shrines. Then we will note the location of the first Government General Building, built in 1907, and visit the location of Japan’s Embassy from 1892 to 1907, later a residence for the Governor General. Before pointing out the location of Japan’s army base before its base in Yongsan was opened, we will take public transportation to Jangchundan Park, named after the royal altar dedicated to those Koreans who died during the assassination of Queen Min, visit a small museum there, see the stone Supyogyo bridge that once spanned Cheonggyecheon, and then visit the site of Bakmunsa, a temple established in 1932 dedicated to Ito Hirobumi, now the site of the Shilla Hotel, where we will reflect on the fate of the gate and main hall of Gyeonghui Palace, which was entirely demolished by the Japanese, finishing at Dongguk University Station.
This walking excursion will set off at 1:30 pm from the top of Exit 6 of Sookmyung Women’s University Station (숙대입구역, Subway Line No. 4). The excursion will last until about 5:00 and end near Dongguk University Station (Subway Line 3). Participants may join Matt afterwards for a coffee or an early dinner (not included in the excursion fee) nearby. Though aided by an elevator, the walk heads uphill for 30 minutes near its beginning; comfortable walking shoes are recommended.