I had a lucky chance to visit the beautiful city of Gwangju, the city where J-Hope grew up. I'll introduce you to all the key spots for ARMY.

In this tour itinerary, you'll also get to experience the history, culture and food the city has to offer. 

Be sure to check out the tours for other BTS members too!

MAY 18TH NATIONAL CEMETERY
국립 5.18 민주묘지

Address: 광주 복구 민주로 200
200 Minju-ro, Unjeong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju

Hours: 09:00-18:00

This is a good place to start off if you're keen on learning about the history of Gwangju. 

This place is the burial site for the victims of the tragic Gwangju Uprising (5.18 광주 민주화 운동) in the city.

150 people were killed by the military's armed supression of demonstrators, led by students, for 10 days between May 18 and 27, 1980, seeking democracy.

Because I visited on a Sunday morning, it wasn't yet crowded. Enjoying the quiet atmosphere, I entered through the towering gate.

The tombstones of courageous citizens who fought for democracy were lined up. Thanks to them, democratic South Korea exists today.

Some details and truth behind the movement are yet to be uncovered and confirmed. J-Hope's popularity has brought awareness to the movement that happened in his hometown, not only from Korean nationals, but from global citizens.

You can find J-Hope's lyrics that deliver a message about the 5.18 uprising in BTS' song, "Ma City".

Source: JTBC

I’m a South Jeollado, Gwangju's baby
Even if my footsteps go to the mountains
It always goes to the summit of Mt. Mudeung, every day
My life is hot, the heat of the south
There’s no such thing as giving up on the law of this fierce heat
I put on a KIA and I turn on the engine
Bounce like crazy
With just one dance I raise my big dream of being a singer
Now in front of reality (I do) music and I jump on stage
Everyone saw, right? I put in passion
I’m Gwangju’s hoshigi, the country’s 8 provinces gear up
If you want to see me then gather at 7 o'clock
Everyone dial it, 062 - 518

Lyrics Translated By Genius

"7 o'clock" was used by opposition forces to despise Gwangju because the city is located at 7 o'clock on the map.

"062" is Gwangju Metropolitan City's regional number while "518" indicates the date May 18th.

The statue of the civilian army fighting with weapons (무장항쟁군상).

After praying in the cemetery, I entered the museum. Although the museum wasn't big, it still provided a lot of information about Korean history.

On one wall, there was a visual timeline of key historical events.

The picture above shows articles left behind by the deceased from the uprising.

Watches that have stopped in time, vinyl that wrapped a dead body, bullets for shooting, and the bloody national flag are all there, conveying thee painful memories of the 10 days.

Movies about the Gwangju Uprising have been made, the most recent one being Taxi Driver (2017).

It was a pretty heavy start to my trip, but I was glad that I had learned something new about J-Hope's hometown and was ready to carry on.

BTS J-HOPE'S ALMA MATER

Time to explore the schools young J-Hope attended!

Born in Ilgok-dong, Gwangju, J-Hope was born with a natural talent when it comes to dancing, winning many dance competitions since he was a student.

Ho-seok was a JYP trainee in 2009 and was casted at the Big Hit audition in 2010.

*Schools in Korea do not permit entry and taking photos is only allowed from the outside.

SEOIL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
서일초등학교

Address: 광주 복구 설죽로 590
590 Seoljuk-ro, Ilgok-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju

I could picture little J-Hope running around the school building. How cute!

This must be the view J-Hope saw going to and leaving school every day. Wonder if he was ever late to class!

In front of the school, you'll also see this bakery that's been standing here for many years. Maybe J-Hope also bought bread and pastries here as a kid, too! 

ILGOK MIDDLE SCHOOL
일곡중학교

Address: 광주 북구 설죽로 570
570 Seoljuk-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju

Just about a 4-minute walk from the elementary school, you'll find the middle school Ho-seok attended and graduated from!

I found a bunsikjip (분식집) in front of the middle school. A bunsikjip is a school food/snack eatery or street stall that sell simple foods like tteokbokki, sundae, eomuk, and gimbap.

Korean kids growing up always carried a little bit of cash around to snack on them. I wonder if J-Hope also stopped by this place with his friends!

This supermarket too! He walked past this place on this way to and from school. He probably bought snacks here too.

KUKJE HIGH SCHOOL
국제고등학교

Address: 광주광역시 북구 삼각동 479-1
479-1 Samgak-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju

How To Get There: Take bus 29 at Seoil Elementary School bus stop. Get off after 6 stops at Kukjego (Kukje High School).

From the gate, you have to walk uphill quite a bit, as you can see in the picture below.

J-Hope must have had a good workout walking up the slope on a daily!

Because Kukje High School is located right beside Jeonnam Girls' Commercial High School, I wondered if any girls from the school had a secret crush on high school Ho-seok. 

TANGO AGUJJIM
탱고아구찜

Address: 광주 북구 설죽로 471번길 12
Gwangju, Buk-gu, Samgak-dong, 781-5

Hours: 11:00-21:00
Break Time: 15:00-16:00
Closed: Mon & Tue

How To Get There: About a 4-minute walk from Kukje High School

I saw that there's a really popular agujjim (steamed monkfish) place near J-Hope's high school, so I decided to eat lunch here.

I entered without waiting at 12 noon, but in about 30 minutes, patrons started lining up for tables. I knew I had come to the right place.

In the pot, you get monkfish as well as vegetables like bean sprouts steamed.

You can choose to order only monkfish or you can mix internal organs with the fish.

We ordered small (for 2-3 persons) and went with the 'lots of meat · 살많이' option, which comes without internal organs.

One thing to keep in mind that there is a dining time limit of 1 hour and 30 minutes because the restaurant is super busy with lineups.

The order included kimchi, salad, seaweed, hongeo (fermented skate fish), boiled quail eggs, dongchimi (cold soupy kimchi), and surprisingly samgyetang (chicken soup) in a stone pot!

The chicken was really tender and the soup had a deep, authentic flavour.

After a short time of devouring the chicken, the main menu agujjim was served. Look at the colours!

Cut the soft, chewy rice cake into bitesize pieces.

We were pleasantly surprised by the amount of monkfish we got.

Most agujjim restaurants will serve more bean sprout than fish, but this restaurant even had a sign up that read, "This is an agujjim restaurant, not a steamed bean sprout restaurant," and they weren't lying! You get so much fish here.

Just look at the meat!

The service we received was also wonderful and I would definitely recommend this eatery to anyone.

JOY DANCE & PLUG IN MUSIC ACADEMY
조이댄스 플러그인뮤직아카데미

Address: 광주 동구 중앙로 185 3F
Kwangju, Dong-gu, Geumnamno 4(sa)-ga, 중앙로 185 3F

Hours: 09:00-18:00

How To Get There:
From Tango Agujjim: Take Yongjeon 184 bus at Yangilro Yipgu (양일로 입구). Get off at Yesuleui Geori Yipgu (예술의 거리 입구).
Subway: Geumnamdo 4-ga Station Exit 1

This is the dance school J-Hope attended!

Many other K-pop stars including 2NE1 Minzy, Kara's Hara and IZ*ONE's Choi Ye-na attended the school.

Signs of J-Hope welcome us at the entrance. We can see that the school is very proud of him!

The 2nd floor was for vocal training and the 3rd for dance training.

We went up the stairs and looked in front of the classroom, which had information about auditions. It seems that entertainment agencies come by to see if anyone is worth casting as a trainee.

Please remember that entry is not allowed as students need to focus when practicing!

K-POP STAR STREET

Address: 광주 동구 충장로3가
Chungjangno 3(sam)-ga, Dong-gu, Gwangju

Subway: Geumnamdo 4-ga Station Exit 1

About a 4-minute walk away from the dance academy, you'll find Chungjangno. Often referred to as the Myeongdong in Gwangju, it's a big shopping district with an ongoing project of transforming into K-pop Star Street in 2021. 

Aside from BTS J-Hope, TVXQ's Yunho is also from Gwangju, so the city is attempting to revitalize the region by showcasing their superstars.

Our main goal of hitting Chungjangno was to see the picture of HOPE WORLD. Cross the road from exit 1 of Geumnamdo 4-ga Station and walk past Olive Young on your left.

Wait, on the way, we could spot a big poster of BTS at FILA!

Make a turn from the post office (right beside FILA) and you'll see a huge picture of HOPE WORLD.

Cute colours!

Refer to the address below if you'd like to come to Gwangju and find the place.

GWANGJU CHUNGJANGNO POST OFFICE
광주충장로우체국

Address: 광주 동구 충장로 94 충장로우체국
94 Chungjang-ro, Chungjangno 2(i)-ga, Dong-gu, Gwangju

Subway:
Geumnamdo 4-ga Station Exit 1
Culture Complex Station Exit 3

As we were walking, we also saw an exhibition combining photos of different K-pop stars!

Names of K-pop stars whose hometown is Gwangju were written too. Look for the name of your bias here!

PENGUIN VILLAGE
펭귄마을

How To Get There:
From Chungjangno Post Office: Take bus 55 at 국립아시아문화전당 (Asia Culture Center) and get off at 양림교 (Yanglimgyo)
Subway: Namgwangju Station Exit 3

Address: 광주 남구 천변좌로 446번길 7
201-64 Yangnim-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju

Penguin Village became the talk of the town and eventually became a tourist attraction after cleaning up an empty house destroyed by fire and displaying abandoned items on the walls of the residential area. 

Many residents of the village said one of the elders of the village who limps from a traffic accident 40 years ago walks like a cute penguin and that's where the name for the village came from.

The village has the 70s and 80s vibes, taking each visitor back in time.

You'll find lots of cute photo spots here!

So how is the village related to Ho-seok?

Tada! You'll find a painting of J-Hope down the alley.

And... another one of him smiling and sending us a heart!

I don't think they look accurately like Ho-seok, but they're so cute that I had to snap lots of photos.

Don't forget to sit on this bench and take pictures, too!

It would be a fun destination to hit on his birthday.

To commemorate J-Hope's birthday, the painting was created on February 16th to 17th in 2020, with the support of his Chinese fans. So sweet!

Sadly, the fans wanted to draw the wall paintings themselves, but they couldn't travel over because of the pandemic. 

Please refrain from touching it and damaging it as they were made with love and efforts from the fans!

SIGNIFIÉ

Address: 광주 남구 백서로 78
116-3 Yangnim-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju

Hours: 12:30-22:00
Mon: Closed

Subway: Namgwangju Station Exit 3

This hanok-style cafe is close to Penguin Village. I really like cafes in Korea with this kind of atmosphere.

My friend and I really liked that it was as stylish as trendy cafes in Seoul, but not as crowded. You can slowly enjoy the vibe and take pictures without having to say, "Excuse me".

Please remember that the cafe is decorated with antiques from the 1960s to early 2000s, so be careful not to damage them.

We also received friendly service from the kind staff. The perks of drinking coffee at a local cafe!

The menu comes in Korean, English and Japanese, so ordering was a breeze.

We ordered americano (4,500 won) and apple crumble (6,500 won).

The hit of caffeine and sweetness we've been waiting for!

The apple crumble went over my expectation! It was so delicious that we secretly didn't want to share with each other.

It's a short distance from Penguin Village, so if you need a kick of caffeine or desserts, stop by!

LEE JANG-WOO'S HOUSE
이장우가옥

Address: 광주광역시 남구 양촌길 21
Gwangju, Nam-gu, Yangchon-gil, 21

Hours: 09:00-18:00

Subway: Namgwangju Station Exit 3

This historic hanok house was designated as the first Gwangju Folk Material in 1989. It's considered a sturdy example of Korean architecture and well-preserved.

It's an upper-class house with a gate, storage, servants' quarters, detached building and the main building. (VisitKorea)

It's about 1600 pyeong (Approx. 17,000 sq ft) wide!

The building was originally owned and partially built by a person named Jeong Byeong-ho and was later purchased, preserved and added buildings by the current owner, Lee Jang-woo, in 1965.

It is extremely well-maintained, so it's a must-visit for thosee who like history and architecture.

Unfortunately, we were permitted entry due to the pandemic. It was still amazingly beautiful to look at from the courtyard.

The place made me imagine life in Korea back in the past.

Let's head over to our final destination! We're going to hit a traditional market and travel there by subway.

Leave from Namgwangju Station (line 1).

The seats on Gwangju Subway facing each other were narrower.

Get off at Gwangju Songjeong Station and head out exit 2.

You should get a view like this when you exit. Turn left.

Make a right at the first intersection and you'll be there very soon.

1913 SONGJEONG STATION MARKET
1913송정역시장

Address: 광주 광산구 송정로8번길 13
38 Songjeong-ro 16beon-gil, Songjeong-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju

Hours:
Mon-Thu: 11:00-22:00
Fri-Sun: 11:00-23:00
Closed on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month

As the name indicates, the market was founded in 1913. It has a history lasting over a century!

The restro-esque vibe gives a sense of nostalgia. Just like Penguin Village, it seems that many young locals are attracted to all things retro.

GAENG SONYEON
갱소년

Address: 광주 광산구 송정로8번길 7-4
7-4 Songjeong-ro 8beon-gil, Songjeong-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju

Hours:
Weekdays: 11:00-20:00
Weekends: 11:00-21:00

Inside the market, you'll find this yanggaeng (sweet red bean jelly) eatery. The modern twist to the grandpa snack is approachable for patrons of all ages.

The colourful flavours are displayed like fruits inside. Staff will help you try out small samples so you can pick the flavours you like the most.

You can also get a box of assorted flavours to share with friends and family (or devour all by yourself).

I bought a set of 12 for 12,000 won! The flavours in the set are walnut, chestnut, matcha, black sesame, cream cheese cranberry, peach, mango, citron, straawberry, kiwi, blueberry, and pineapple.

I personally enjoyed cream cheese cranberry as it was packed with flavours.

This place was also introduced on Korean food show, Wednesday Food Talk.

BUY HERE
역서사소

Address: 광주 광산구 송정로8번길 7-4
990-1 Songjeong-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju

Hours:
Tue-Sun: 11:00-20:00
Break Time: 12:00-13:00
Mon: Closed

You'll find a prop shop right next to Gaeng Sonyeon. They sell goods with satoori (Korean dialects) written on them, an interesting buy for those who are studying Korean! 

The one written in pink, "야 있냐," is Jeolla-do dialect equivalent to, "있잖아," in Korean. It's used as a conversation starter.

They also have goods with Gyeongsang-do and Jeju-do satoori, so be sure to stop by and learn a phrase or two.

Overall, our trip to Gwangju was meaningful that we got to experience J-Hope's childhood spots in person and also learn a little bit of history about this metropolitan city.

We hope you found our itinerary to Gwangju helpful! Let us know how your experience in Gwangju goes in the comment section below.