Beyond K-pop: Foreign Travelers Find Korea’s True Beauty in Art and Temples
Creatrip Team
3 months ago
Seoul Tourism Foundation piloted an “Art in Seoul” tour that brought 22 visitors from 13 countries to explore Korean art and temples in Seongbuk-dong. Highlights included the Kansong Museum (간송미술관) — Korea’s first private museum founded in 1938 by Kansong Jeon Hyeong-pil, who spent his fortune protecting cultural treasures from Japanese colonial seizure — and an exhibition about seven collectors who donated works (‘Bohwabeejang’). Participants also visited Gilsangsa Temple (길상사), formerly a high-end teahouse turned temple after benefactor Kim Young-han donated land and buildings following a spiritual conversion, and joined a templatestyle (템플스테이) activity making a small dancheong (단청) keyring (dancheong: traditional multicolored decorative painting on Korean temples). Visitors reported being moved by the stories of preservation, generosity, and the calming temple experience; organizers see art-focused tourism as an emerging attraction beyond K-pop and K-drama.
