Where to find street art in Seoul – Ihwa, Mullae, Apgujeong, Hongdae

Seoul is better known for its Hallyu tourism and amazing shopping, but take a closer look at its walls and you’ll find that the Seoul street art culture is surprisingly vibrant. Street art is all over Seoul, from cute murals for that perfect aegyo selfie, to impressive stretches of graffiti bombs and throw-ups, and even used to rejuvenate past slum villages (known as Daldongne or moon villages) into outdoor galleries that draw tourists and local visitors alike.

I had two days to wander Seoul on my own and since I’d already explored most of the major tourist sites in my previous trip (see all my Seoul posts), my street art quest took me to some unexpected areas – these places are easily accessible by Seoul’s extensive subway network and I’ll tell you more about how to get there, and as always there is a handy Google Map below which maps out where things are.

Ihwa Mural Village 이화 벽화마을

This little village on the slopes of Naksan Park has lots of colourful murals all over. 60 artists were invited to decorate and revitalise this sleepy little village, and today it continues to attract lots of visitors willing to brave the steep slopes to go mural hunting. It’s a nice way to spend an afternoon, and you are rewarded for your efforts with a panoramic view of Seoul from this elevated park. Remember to keep your squeals to a minimum as it still is a residential area so as not to disturb the residents.

If you follow the suggested route (see map below in ‘how to get there’), your path will be like this:

Naksan-gil >> Naksan-4-gil >> Ihwajang-1na-gil >> Naksanseongwakseo-gil>> Yulgok-ro-19-gil >> Ihwajang-1-gil

Take your time to wander, it’s a bit of a climb and there are lots of artworks hidden around the buildings, but some of the highlights:

Seoul Ihwa Mural Village Mchat Slope — I had missed the earlier turning so I was backtracking my way to Naksan-gil – Sharp eyes might recognise Monsieur Chat who I first saw in Lisbon! I always get excited when I recognise street artist’s iconic styles in new places. He left this piece after visiting back in 2008, wow!

Seoul Ihwa Mural Village Grass Naksan-Gil — This piece is halfway up the super steep Naksan-gil slope and how you know you’re on the right track! I try to attribute if I can find a credit and read it, and Hangul is actually quite readable but it takes me a lot of effort – this work was done in Oct 2013 by Seo Jeong Min, Jim Se Na and Ngim Jae Song

Seoul Ihwa Mural Village Melancholy Naksan-Gil — Melancholy – further up the street from the grass mural. There’s a pretty cute cafe along this stretch which has hella expensive fried chicken but it’s a nice place to just grab a cuppa before you continue walking

Seoul Ihwa Mural Village Cat Man Dog — Look out for small bits of art! There’s a bunch of metal sculptures along Naksan-gil as well as the slightly offbeat Man and Dog in the background, but I kinda love the little hidden kitties in the railing

Seoul Ihwa Mural Village Naksan-gil view — There is a park below which you can stroll down to, and along that wall you can find some works as well

Seoul Ihwa Mural Village BnW Animals — I quite like these animal heads along the pathway to the park

Seoul Ihwa Mural Village Puppies — Cute little puppies! This is just before the staircase below…

Seoul Ihwa Mural Village Koi Stairs — One of the more impressive murals is this Koi staircase. If I’m reading the credit on the side correctly, same as the folks who did the grass mural earlier

Seoul Ihwa Mural Village Blue Rabbits — Somewhere along the way up the stairs, another cute cartoony rabbit mural. Done by a group of 4 called DKU – my credit pic is a bit blurry unfortunately~ That picture was taken at the junction of ihwajang 1-na gil

Seoul Ihwa Mural Village Stairs BnW — The styles all around are wildly different. I kinda like how this shot turned out

Seoul Ihwa Mural Village City Walls — The old Seoul city walls against a practically unblocked panorama of Seoul, sadly it was a bit of a grey day

Seoul Ihwa Mural Village Blue Flowers — Simple but pretty flowers

Seoul Ihwa Mural Village Cafe on the Hill — This little Cafe on the Hill is at 68-7/9 Yulgok-ro 19-gil just before the flower mosaic staircase below

Seoul Ihwa Mural Village Flower Mosaic Stairs — Your photos are probably going to look like this mostly because there are lots of people all around!

Seoul Ihwa Mural Village Yellow Cat — kinda like this graphic cat at the foot of the flower mosaic staircase. there are more murals in the alleyway to the left

Seoul Ihwa Mural Village Angel Wings — This pair of angel wings is pretty popular, so much so that there are several copies around the village, but this is the ‘original’ one

Seoul Ihwa Mural Village Sewing Machine — As I was leaving the village, I rounded the corner past the weird Avengers work and found this stunner under the bridge

How to get to Ihwa

Take Blue Subway Line 4 – Hyehwa (Exit 2)

Walk straight down Daehak-Ro – the main road should be on your right, the hill (Naksan Hill which you will be climbing) should be on your left. There should be a bronze sculpture
When you see Marrioner Park, turn left onto Daehak-Ro-8-gil. If you walk along this road, Arco Art Center should be on your right. (If you see Dongsun-gil it means you’ve gone a bit too far, but you can turn left onto Dongsun-gil and left again to reach the same spot)
Keep going down Daehak-Ro-8gil, past Daehak-Ro-12gil, until you reach Dongsun-gil cross junction, then make a right. A landmark to look out for at this junction is Handok Pharmacy
Look for Naksan-gil on your left – this sloping street will lead you up to Naksan Park. It’s a very steep sloping street and you should see the green hills artwork, from there just follow the artworks
There are several signages scattered around the area that will point and tell you how far it is to Naksan Park – if all else fails, follow those signs

Seoul Ihwa Mural Village Map HiRes — This is the original map that you will find in the area – the path I’m describing is in the bottom right corner (blue and green paths) – click on image for high res pic

Seoul Ihwa Mural Village Artworks — Some of the recommended key artworks to look out for… I didn’t see 6 and 7 but I saw everything else!

Seoul Ihwa Mural Village Naksan Sign — These signboards point you up to Ihwa-dong

The area around here is known as Daehangno (‘college street’) and was the old home of Seoul National University. There are many art centres in this area, and you might catch public performances if you are lucky. Daehangno is found in the Jongno district to the east of the Changdeokgung palace – I walked back to the Bukchon area where I was staying from Ihwa, but I suggest taking the train because the Naksan Hills are pretty steep to climb.

Mullae Arts Village 문래예술촌

This industrial area south of the Hangang River is filled with the soft whine of drills and the muffled buzz of machinery isn’t somewhere you’d associate with art, but there’s something quite fun about discovering fun, colourful little murals as you explore these gritty little alleyways. Hidden amidst this gritty light industry area are doorways to cute indie cafes and unexpected artworks, so definitely take the time to get a little bit lost here.

I walked around quite a bit here and it’s easier to talk about it in 2 parts:

Area 1

BORDERED BY DANGSAN-RO, DORIM-RO AND DORIM-RO-128GIL

Seoul Mullae Alleyway Sunset — Most of the area is like that – little low shuttered buildings and narrow alleyways

Seoul Mullae Circus — This marching circus parade can be found along Dorim-ro-128gil

Seoul Mullae Pink Alien — Bright pink alien on a shutter – not sure if a lot of these places are closed for the day or permanently shut?

Seoul Mullae Bamboo — Many artworks can be found at the start of the alleyways connecting to the main road, which is what draws you in to explore the place

Seoul Mullae Flowershop — Besides steel workshops, there are a number of hipster spots like these to check out as well! Keep your eyes peeled

Seoul Mullae Lego Patching — I always see these posts online but it’s the first time I’ve seen it in action!

Seoul Mullae Cat Painting — Mural painting in action. Cats of course are always a hipster favourite

Seoul Mullae Space Cat — This space cat is actually kinda cool – you can find it closer to the Dangsan-ro side

Seoul Mullae Wall Etching — This subtle etching is also quite interesting

Seoul Mullae Psoman Mouse Fairytale Wolf — What I thought was a mouse is actually a Jerboa by French street artist Psoman done in March 2015 – you’ll see another of his works later on. The other is part of a larger fairytale series in this very narrow alleyway

Seoul Mullae Water Leak Tree — I like how they used the ugly water mark to form the tree bark!

Seoul Mullae Urban Art Guest House — There is a guest house in the area if you are interested. Reviews on tripadvisor say it’s a little on the old side though

Area 2

BORDERED BY DANGSAN-RO, GYEONGIN-RO-77GIL, GYEONGGIN-RO, DORIM-RO

Seoul Mullae Girl with Pearl Earring — I can’t remember where exactly I came across this, but if you look closely this visual is made up of many little coloured circles

Seoul Mullae Redhead — Cute little redhead by Jihoon Lee

Seoul Mullae Yomsnil Faces — These fun faces are by Yomsnil, a Korean artist with a pretty graphic style

Seoul Mullae Psoman Bear — Psoman’s work again and probably my favourite from Mullae

Seoul Mullae Green Face — Scary green face

Seoul Mullae Appliances — This row of appliances is quite cute

Seoul Mullae 2nd Storey — Don’t forget to look up!

How to get to Mullae

Take Green Subway Line 2 – Mullae (exit 7)

From exit, walk straight out of entrance and follow Dangsan-ro
Take a slight left to Dorim-Ro-128gil and you should see a bunch of low buildings on your right. That was where I started my exploration of Area 1

Time Out has a pretty cool guide on things to check out in Mullae – it’s still very much under the radar even with its upcoming arts venues and activities but is apparently becoming one of those upcoming hipster areas. Fun fact: It’s the place where the train derailment scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron was filmed.

Apgujeong Graffiti Tunnel 압구정

There is an underpass lined with graffiti throw ups that connects Apgujeong to the Han River Park which has apparently appeared in several K-pop music videos. It seems to be a sanctioned area for graffiti, with signs listing some rules and regulations on what street artists can do here. The lined walls lead you down to the Hangang where you will encounter avid cyclists and a gorgeous view of the river on a clear day.

p/s: most of the photos in this post are kinda wide-angle because my phone DIED right as soon as I managed to find this place. Like, thank goodness I had the rental GoPro from RentSomethingLeh on hand.

Seoul Apgujeong Selfie — Selfie in front of the tunnel. You have no idea how far I walked just to find this place! Read on to find the real short cut to get here

Seoul Apgujeong Seolleung Entrance — Clearer view of the entrance from Seolleung-Ro

Seoul Apgujeong Entrance Dino — Kinda like this dino – there were mostly graffiti tags, this one of the few more pictoral works

Seoul Apgujeong Rules — It seems like budding artists can just come here to paint at anytime, as long as they follow a few rules!

Seoul Apgujeong Mirror — Trying to take a mirror selfie, yes there was a cyclist coming in behind me, not some strange apparition

Seoul Apgujeong Blue Cyclops — This little blue fella is kinda cute

Seoul Apgujeong Jamwon Hangang River View — You are rewarded with quite a spectacular river view when you exit the tunnel at Jamwon Hangang Park though!

Seoul Apgujeong Jamwon Hangang Park — One of my favourite pix – all these cyclists wondering who this crazy girl is haha

How to get to Apgujeong Graffiti Tunnel

Take Yellow Subway Bundang Line, Apgujeong Rodeo Station (Exit 1)

Go around the exit and walk along Seolleung-ro away from the Galleria Mall buildings until you reach the end of the road – you should see Hanyang Apartments Blk 21 (Look for the HY mark on the top of the building)

Seoul Apgujeong Hanyang Blk 21 — It’s not so clear, but right on top under the first 21 is the letters HY. The entrance is just out of sight on the right side

Cross the small road Seolleung-ro-189 or 190-gil to a small park and turn right, you should see the entrance to the graffiti tunnel that leads down to the park
Walking through the tunnel should bring you to the waterfront at Jamwon Hanggang Park
Most of the internet will tell you to walk from Apgujeong Station (Line 4) Exit 1, and you can do that but let me just warn you first that it is quite a walk (according to my Google Map, 1.6km to be exact). You basically go straight out of Exit 1 and follow Apgujeong-ro all the way, past Eonju-ro cross junction (it’s a large flyover bridge) and walk allllllll the way till you see Galleria mall and reach Seolleung-ro. You’ll walk by a lot of apartment buildings, but don’t try and cut into the park from those because they don’t connect up! (I say this from A LOT of personal experience getting lost)

Seoul Mullae Galleria Mall — The fish scales of galleria mall – this is the view from Exit 6 across the street. Exit 7 brings you up somewhere in front of the Louis Vuitton store. The road leading to the graffiti tunnel and Exit 1 is on the right of this building

If you are looking for more things to do around this area, check out my guide for non-shopping things to do in Gangnam.

Hongdae 홍대

The Hongdae area around Hongik University is pretty well known as a super vibrant one with lots of shops and restaurants, and lots of young people busking, dancing or just performing along the streets in the evening. The graffiti all around the area really just adds to the energy in the streets and while most of it isn’t particularly refined, it does add great colour to the streets.

Seoul Hongdae Busking — Buskers amidst little graffiti boards. It was winter and cold, like -3 at least!

Seoul Hongdae Street Dancing — There were a lot of random groups like this just dancing in the streets. Yes that is a dancing bee

There is an actual Hongdae Mural Alley (also known as Picasso’s Street) near Hongik university that is popular for murals that I visited the first time I was here, but by the time I reached Hongdae this time around it was already getting dark (damn these short winter days) so I mostly wandered around the central area quite randomly.

Seoul Hongdae Hoarding 2 — Rows of hoarding – it’s quite a sight! wonder how permanent it is though?

Seoul Hongdae Shark — Kinda like this angry shark

Seoul Hongdae Purple Blob — This is kinda random

Seoul Hongdae Hoarding — Lots of hoarding all around and all of it is covered

Seoul Hongdae Graffiti Truck — Even the vehicles parked in the area can’t escape the graff

Seoul Hongdae Sunset Winter — I just wanted to share this awesome sunset picture because I love bare winter trees

How to get to Hongdae

Green Subway Line 2, Gyeonggui-Jungang or AREX line to Hongik University Station

Exit 4-7 (the blue line side). Once you come out the exits, you should see lots of hoarding covered with tags

Seoul Hongdae Blue Line Exit — The exit is quite a bit of a walk from Line 2 – you might want to exit at Line 2 #9 and then slowly meander over instead

This trip to Seoul was sponsored by the Korea Tourism Organisation for Tripzilla. This article was first posted on Tripzilla.

Looking for more street art? I have a whole collection of street art guides to Singapore and places I’ve visited in Asia, Europe and America.