NKDB North Korean Human Rights Exhibition Hall (북한인권전시실) - Area information - Korea travel information

NKDB North Korean Human Rights Exhibition Hall (북한인권전시실)

1.5Km    2025-11-13

393 Samil-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul

The NKDB North Korean Human Rights Exhibition Hall is a permanent exhibition space dedicated to North Korean human rights.  Although it is a small space, it resonates deeply and serves as a "dark tourism" site that records and testifies to the ongoing reality of human rights violations in North Korea. The North Korean Human Rights Information Center (NKDB), which operates this exhibition hall, is the organization that collects and archives the most extensive records of human rights concerning North Korean residents in the world. The testimonies and records presented here represent a living history, a story unfolding in the present, unavailable elsewhere. Through donated North Korean artifacts, including these records, visitors can glimpse the present-day North Korea and encounter artwork by North Korean defectors.

Yangyeon Hwaro (양연화로)

1.5Km    2024-03-05

18 Samil-daero 17-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-2-3210-0808

Yangyeon Hwaro is located in Jongno and is renowned for offering the essence of Korean-style barbecue. Its signature dish is the aged pork belly, grilled over charcoal, bursting with charcoal aroma and juiciness. Additionally, the menu includes various cuts of pork such as shoulder, thin skirt, and pork neck, as well as beef options like boneless short ribs and beef tartare. The staff personally grill the meat for the customers.

Bugeogukjip (북어국집)

1.5Km    2024-12-27

38, Eulji-ro 1-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-777-3891

Bugeogukjip (formerly “Teojutgol”) is a restaurant behind City Hall in Seoul that has been serving up authentic dried Pollack soup since 1968. Despite a name change, the restaurant has proudly stood in this same location for decades, earning a strong reputation for its dried Pollack soup made using traditional cooking methods.

Since the restaurant only serves one thing—dried Pollack soup—there are few preparations to be made and the meal arrives on your table in minutes. Customers are free to serve themselves basic side dishes such as kimchi and can have as many servings of rice as they’d like, allowing diners to enjoy a hearty meal at a low price. While the restaurant’s design and menu may be simple, Bugeogukjip takes pride in its long history and the careful efforts that have earned it a reputation as one of the most notable restaurants in Seoul.

Sonjung Bossam (손정보쌈)

1.5Km    2025-07-25

24 Samil-daero 15-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Sonjung Bossam offers dishes with a modern touch by reinterpreting traditional meals. Passed down for three generations, this restaurant values sincerity and careful attention in food making in order to serve every customer a heartwarming meal. Sonjung Bossam's signature dish Premium Gabri Bossam takes only the rarest pork cut, the blade-end fatback called "gabri" in Korean, and boils the meat using the restaurant's secret recipe for tender, juicy meat. The restaurant also serves their own special version of spicy stir-fried fish roe and intestines and haemultang (spicy seafood stew), boasting a generous amount of various seafood and rich broth. All meals are prepared wholeheartedly as if they are being served to a family.

Gyeonghuigung Palace (경희궁)

1.5Km    2024-07-09

45 Saemunan-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-2-724-0274

Gyeonghuigung Palace, a designated Historic Site, was originally called the large palace by Saemun Gate, or the Western Palace, for its location within the city. It was not until the eighth year of Gwanghaegun (1616) that the palace was used as a royal residence for the king, changing the name to Gyeongdeokgung Palace. The name later changed again to the current Gyeonghuigung Palace in 1760. The palace grounds included many halls but they were mostly all burned down in a fire in 1829. After the Japanese occupation began, all remaining buildings on the site were torn down and the palace grounds were turned into Gyeongseong Middle School (now Seoul High School). The school moved to Gangnam area in 1987, afterwhich the previous location was turned into a park. The palace grounds currently hold Seoul Museum of Art and walking paths, as well as a restoration of Heunghwamun Gate, the main gate of the palace, and Sungjeongjeon Hall, the main hall, completed in November 1994.

Yonggeumok (용금옥)

1.5Km    2024-03-13

24-2, Dadong-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-777-1689

Established in 1932, Yonggeumok specializes in Seoul-style chutang (loach soup), renowned for using whole loach in its preparation. This method distinguishes it from the more commonly known Namwon-style chutang, which involves grinding the loach. At Yonggeumok, guests can savor the tender and savory texture of the loach flesh in their chutang, offering a unique and authentic dining experience.

Jjamppong Zizon Jongno (짬뽕지존 종로)

1.6Km    2024-03-15

25 Samil-daero 15-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
+82-2-725-5161

Jjamppong Zizon is a Chinese restaurant located near Cheonggyecheon Stream. Their signature dish, zizon jjamppong (spicy seafood noodle soup), combines fresh seafood with a spicy broth enhanced with smoky flavors. They also offer zizon jjajangmyeon (black bean sauce noodles). For those craving extra heat, there are options like jiok jjamppong (extra spicy seafood noodle soup) and jiok jjajang (spicy black bean sauce noodles). Additionally, they serve chapssal tangsuyuk (deep-fried pork in sweet rice batter with sweet and sour sauce), coating pork in chewy sweet rice batter.

Olive Young - Jongno YBM Branch [Tax Refund Shop] (올리브영 종로YBM)

1.6Km    2024-04-19

104, Jong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Sulla-gil Yeah Café & Bibi (순라길 예 & 비비)

1.6Km    2025-01-23

55 Seosulla-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
02-3672-1599

Situated in Sulla-gil, the Sulla-gil Yeah Café & Bibi is a roaster café where each bean is handpicked. It also offers a range of wine selections. The café is a perfect place to relax after exploring downtown Seoul. The cozy atmosphere of the café with the added charm of the stone wall visible from café, makes visitors feel at ease and relaxed. The evenings here turn into a music and movie session, adding a lively atmosphere to the space.

Uyungmyeongwan Cheonggyecheon Main Store (우육면관청계천점)

1.6Km    2024-04-19

75-2 Cheonggyecheon-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Uyungmyeongwan is a noodle restaurant specializing in uyungmyeon (beef noodle soup) located near Cheonggyecheon Stream. Its flagship dish is the uyungmyeon, which harmonizes tender meat with rich broth. In addition, they also sell freshly made sugyo (Chinese-style boiled mandu) filled with shrimp, pork, and young cabbage daily. Loved by locals and tourists alike for its clean yet flavorful broth and chewy noodles.