Samcheong-dong Street

This guide to Samcheong-dong Street in Seoul follows the stone wall of Gyeongbokgung Palace that once separated the royal family from the aristocrats who served them in this exclusive neighborhood. It traces the meaning behind the name Samcheong, the low tiled hanok houses that stood here for generations, and how painters, gallery owners and coffee roasters eventually moved into rooms where Joseon officials once slept. Government offices and foreign consulates still sit along this street of cameras and ginkgo leaves.