VOL.96/2026.07

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Walking Along the Sentences of the Sea:
The Pak Kyong-ni Memorial Hall in Tongyeong

 

 

2026.07

 

 

In July, Tongyeong, a true city of the sea, welcomes its most vibrant and brilliant season. The landscape of Tongyeong, where islands, ports, alleys, and hills seamlessly intertwine, feels like a piece of literature in itself. This city is the birthplace of the literary giant Pak Kyong-ni and the profound source of inspiration for her creative world. Walking through Tongyeong alongside the summer sea, one naturally comes to realize where Pak’s literature truly began.

 

 

 

 

Pak Kyong-ni Memorial Hall

 

 

Located in Sanyang-eup, Tongyeong, the Pak Kyong-ni Memorial Hall is a space where visitors can engage deeply with the author’s life and literary world. Pak, who left a monumental footprint in the history of Korean literature with her epic saga Toji (The Land), deeply etched the emotions of her hometown and the lives of its people into her work through novels like The Daughters of Kim’s Pharmacy, which is set against the backdrop of Tongyeong. Inside the memorial hall, visitors can quietly retrace her life and career through personal photographs, handwritten manuscripts, beloved belongings, and video materials. After exploring the exhibitions, a gentle stroll through Pak Kyong-ni Park and around her gravesite allows one to reflect on both the profound weight of her literary legacy and the meaning of Tongyeong as her ancestral home.

 

After visiting the memorial hall, it is well worth expanding your itinerary to take in more of Tongyeong's summer scenery. The Tongyeong Cable Car, which offers a panoramic view of the islands and waters of the Hallyeosudo Waterway, is the most refreshing way to experience the city's verdant summer. Looking down at the sea and islands from Mireuksan Mountain, the landscape subtly mirrors the dramatic ups and downs of human life that flow through Pak’s literature. The sea is undeniably beautiful, yet it holds within its depths the lives, time, longings, and farewells of the people who call it home.

 

 

 

 

Dongpirang & Seopirang Wall Painting Village

 

 

To truly feel the charm of Tongyeong's alleys, a visit to Dongpirang Wall Painting Village and Seopirang Village is highly recommended. The hillside paths lined with colorful murals and the narrow alleys overlooking the harbor showcase a blend of Tongyeong’s unique daily life and artistic sensibility. A perfect itinerary for a July getaway involves wandering through the alleys of Dongpirang and Seopirang by day, and then heading to Dipirang in Nammangsan Park by night to immerse yourself in Tongyeong's evening through stunning media art.

 

 

 

 

Dara Park

 

 

Concluding your day at Dara Park is another wonderful choice. As one of Tongyeong’s premier sunset spots, it offers an unforgettable view of the twilight blending with the islands scattered across the sea. A journey that begins with discovering literary depth at the Pak Kyong-ni Memorial Hall and continues along Tongyeong's sea, alleys, and sunsets will linger in your mind for a long time, much like the slow, enduring impression of a great summer read.

 

In July, Tongyeong is far more than just a summer resort. It is a city that embraces the sea, the ancestral home where a writer's literature flourished, and a place where life stories remain etched into the landscape. This summer, a literary stroll through Tongyeong starting at the Pak Kyong-ni Memorial Hall will offer a truly special experience, where books and the sea, travel and contemplation, all flow together beautifully.

 

 

 

 

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Editor. Hannah Lee (The Contents Factory Co., Ltd. CEO)

Designing 'More' Innovative Communication and Experiences Through Content