VOL.95/2026.06

Topic

 

The Place Where BTS Sang... K-Novels Portraying Gwanghwamun, “The Most Iconic Part of Seoul”

 

 

2026.06

 

 

The Hub of Corporate Life and a Witness to History

 

On March 27, 2026, the Gwanghwamun area in the heart of Seoul was undeniably a space of visual spectacle. BTS, the idol group with a global fandom, set up a stage here for their comeback performance, which was broadcast live worldwide by the global streaming platform Netflix.

 

 

Yet for a long time, Gwanghwamun has been a space of the written word for Koreans. Standing in the heart of Seoul, Gwanghwamun is the main gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace, the legal palace of the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910). Its signboard—bearing the characters “光化門” written in the traditional reverse order from right to left—symbolically reflects the creation of Hangeul during the Joseon Dynasty, its necessity, and its historic turning points. Furthermore, the underground space connected to Gwanghwamun Subway Station is home to the flagship store of South Korea’s largest bookstore chain.

 

The historic center of Seoul, encompassing Gwanghwamun, Gyeongbokgung Palace, and Changgyeonggung Palace, has long served as both a subject and a muse for numerous works of Korean literature. A notable recent example is Im Kyung-Sun’s novel Things Left Unsaid. The protagonist is a highly capable woman who passed the Higher Civil Service Examination and works at the Central Government Complex, which stands looking out over Gwanghwamun. She falls in love after a chance encounter in Gwanghwamun Square with a pianist who has set up a practice studio in a nearby studio apartment.

 

While this novel is set against the backdrop of modern Gwanghwamun as a corporate hub, Jeong Myeong-seop’s The Gwanghwamun Trio takes the old Gwanghwamun area as its setting. During the colonial era, Gwanghwamun was a space where the grim authority of imperialism and dreams of transformation intersected. Based on anecdotes of the real-life figure Baek Seok, one of Korea’s representative novelists, and his friends, the novel portrays the “modern boys” who dreamed of literature during the colonial period.

 

 

In this sense, Kim Geum-Hee’s The Greenhouse Repair Report can be described as a novel that bridges the past and present of Gwanghwamun. Through the process of repairing the Great Greenhouse inside Changgyeonggung Palace, another royal palace of the Joseon Dynasty, the story questions the meaning of preservation, recreation, history, and testimony. Built in 1909, the Changgyeonggung Great Greenhouse is Korea’s first Western-style greenhouse, constructed by the Japanese colonial government under the pretext of comforting the king after they had him confined within the palace. It remains open to visitors today.

 

 

 

 

Gwanghwamun, the Home of K-Literature

 

The Gwanghwamun area is an indispensable destination for any literary tour of Seoul. As the historic heart of the city safeguarding ancient palaces, “the oldest part of Seoul” is deeply woven into major works of modern Korean literature. For instance, The Naked Tree by Park Wan-Suh, one of Korea’s most iconic novelists, tells the story of a protagonist who takes a job at a US military PX during the Korean War. Through her connection with a portrait painter, she contemplates life, war, despair, and hope. The main setting for this story is the Gyedong neighborhood in Seoul, an area directly adjacent to Gyeongbokgung Palace.

 

The Wings, a novel by the celebrated poet and writer Yi Sang (1910–1937), who was famously dubbed a “genius poet,” is also a staple of these literary journeys. The Mitsukoshi Department Store, which serves as the setting for the final scene of this masterpiece, continues to operate today as the flagship store of one of Seoul’s leading department store chains.

 

Park Tae-won’s full-length novel Scenery by the Stream is set along the Cheonggyecheon Stream, a major historical and cultural space in Seoul alongside Gwanghwamun. This work, which depicts the daily lives of ordinary people living around the stream during the colonial era, is considered a masterpiece of Korean modernist literature. Notably, Park Tae-Won is also the maternal grandfather of the world-renowned film director Bong Joon-Ho. Another of his representative works, A Day in the Life of Kubo the Novelist, follows the novelist Kubo over the course of a single day from the moment he leaves his house until he returns. The old downtown of Seoul, including the Cheonggyecheon Stream and Gyeongseong Station (now Seoul Station), beautifully pieces together his day—much like downtown Dublin in James Joyce’s Ulysses.

 

 

 

 

Translators Strolling Through Gwanghwamun

 

Gwanghwamun is the quintessential Seoul. Ever since the Joseon Dynasty designated Seoul as the capital, this area has long functioned as the heart of the nation. As a result, various cultural facilities and events, including museums and art galleries, unfold around Gwanghwamun. For overseas translators visiting South Korea, whether for professional training or tourism, it is a place that is hard to miss.

 

For instance, the Seoul Metropolitan Library, a public library in the city, hosts an “Outdoor Library” event during the spring and autumn. Books are set out across Gwanghwamun Square, the Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall, and the Cheonggyecheon Stream area, allowing anyone to enjoy reading out in the open. Starting this year, a tour program is also being held for foreign tourists, and tour participants will be provided with the English quarterly magazine from the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea).

 

 

 

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Written by Eunseo Koo (A Reporter at The Korea Economic Daily)

As a reporter for The Korea Economic Daily, she has covered domestic and international publishing trends and major new releases. She is the author of Classics with a Reason, a book that explores the enduring charm and value of timeless literary classics.