Hit by high rent, Insa-dong loses its identity

Kim Myung engraves a traditional name stamp at her ink brush store Myung Sin Dang in Insa-dong, Seoul, Thursday. / Korea Times photo by Lee Suh-yoon

By Lee Suh-yoon

Hong Soo-hi, the owner of Koohasanbang, Insa-dong's oldest remaining "pilbang" or ink brush store, deplores the fact the cultural heritage street is no longer what it used to be.

"There's nothing to see," the 70-year-old complains as he prepares instant coffee behind the counter. "That's why most tourists just leave after a quick glance."

Insa-dong, a 700-meter street formed over a now-defunct creek that used to connect nearby Samcheong-dong to Cheonggye Stream in Seoul's central district of Jongno-gu, has been a hub for art supply stores. But many of them have been pushed out of business due to soaring rents.

Chain coffee shops, cosmetics stores and identical souvenir stalls have replaced stores that sold traditional goods, art and local handicrafts.

"And anything that's made in Korea is too expensive for most people," Hong adds. "The rent is insane. What do you expect?"

Hong Soo-hi, 70, owner of Insadong's oldest remaining ink brush shop Koohasanbang. / Korea Times photo by Lee Suh-yoon

The number of random visitors or tourists, however, does not affect Koohasanbang's sales. Its main clients are a regular group of local artists and students. The store provides a rare window into what Insa-dong used to stand for — a hub for local artists and poets.

An elderly man enters the store. He wants to buy hanji, traditional Korean paper handmade from mulberry trees.

"Next time, come and buy my brushes too, they're premium products," Hong tells the customer as he hands him the parcel.

According to a city-published guidebook, Koohasanbang's regular client list included King Gojong (1852-1919) and his son Emperor Sunjong (1907-10), as well as famed calligraphers Kim Choong-hyun (1921-2006) and Kim Eung-heon (1927-2007).

Despite its legacy, Koohasanbang is struggling to stay open. Hong says the rent has more than doubled since he took over the shop in 1987.

"Insa-dong may look fine on the surface but underneath it's in trouble," Hong sighs. "Many shop owners are months behind on their rent. The rent is so high there are no incoming tenants. Nowadays, stores can remain empty for one or two years."

Walking through Insa-dong's main street today, visitors can easily spot "Clearance Sale" or "For Rent" signs taped over shop windows. Artists and craftsmen, who once made Insa-dong a living site of traditional art and culture, are long gone.

High rent is not the only reason Insa-dong is no longer the place it once was.

The restructuring of university programs led to the disappearance of traditional arts majors.

"Universities are increasingly shutting down Oriental painting and calligraphy programs," Hong says.

"Let's say there were around 3,000 calligraphy studios in Gyeonggi Province before. Now there are only 50. Where did those artists go? They couldn't make ends meet, so they left to the countryside to lower their living expenses. They all graduated from top universities you know."

Traditional arts as hobbies are also losing popularity, partly because of the tough economic situation.

"In the past, women in their 30s and 40s practiced calligraphy or ink painting," Hong recalls. "Now many of them are washing dishes at restaurants or taking part-time jobs to earn extra income for the family."

When asked how his store was able to survive in the face of soaring rent, Hong says he sold his other assets.

A short history

Local artists first settled in Insa-dong in the early Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), when it became home to Dohwaseo, a government office for training royal artists.

A visual comparison of Insa-dong street in 1998 and 2017. / Korea Times file

During the 1910-45 Japanese occupation, Japanese collectors combed its streets for priceless paintings and antiques that members of the fallen Yangban class put up for sale.

Starting in the 1960s, Insa-dong became a hub for painting studios, art supply stores, and "pyogu" (paper or silk framing service for mounted paintings) shops — partly due to its lower rent compared to other commercial areas like Chungmuro and Myeong-dong that also sold art and culture products.

However, as the area became increasingly popular among locals and tourists in the 1990s, gentrification quickly followed. High rent soon displaced the local artists, master craftsmen and antique traders.

Hong is one of the last remaining traces of the Insa-dong Koreans remember.

Insa-dong was designated as the first cultural district by the government in 2001 to protect traditional culture. However, the measures proved to be ineffective.

Multi-story complexes like Ssamzigil appeared, causing rents to soar. Monthly rent for a small shop of around 55 square meters on the first floor of this building is about 8 million won ($7,400).

High rent is a perpetual nightmare for the remaining tenants here.

"It's ridiculous how they keep raising the rent. The owner of the building has changed frequently as well," says one shopkeeper at Ssamzigil who asked not to be named.

Other traditional shops who have managed to survive despite soaring rent echo Hong's views.

"The number of tourists in Insa-dong is decreasing in general," says Kim Myung, owner of Myun Sin Dang ink brush shop.

Myung Sin Dang has managed to keep the same spot in Insa-dong for over 30 years. It's also famous among tourists for engraving personalized name stamps.

A clearance sale is underway at a shop in Insadong, Seoul. High rents are pushing old stores out of business. / Korea Times photo by Lee Suh-yoon

"Tourists now make up around 30 percent of our customer base," she says, waving her hand at the display cupboard behind her which is lined with small gifts from around the world. "They really like the calm and historic atmosphere of the store and many of them return for a second visit."

A 35-year-old employee surnamed Kim who works at Ahwon Gongbang, a traditional metal crafts shop that's been operated by six sister artists since 1983, also agrees the stores that made up Insa-dong's identity have disappeared.

"Handicraft workshops that were around for a long time like Korean patchwork or tea ceremony equipment have all been chased out by the high rent," she says.

Kim also says the huge number of factory-made goods found on Insa-dong's streets prevents tourists from appreciating the goods artists make by hand.

"Some tourists think our products are too expensive. But they forget to consider the traditional handicraft work that went into it, not to mention the design process," Kim says. "The problem is that labels like handmade and handicraft are plastered on almost any product these days."

Gentrification has dealt an especially hard blow to Insa-dong. This is because Insa-dong is still promoted as a place where tradition and cultural heritage can still be found.

Other gentrified areas in Seoul such as the area in front of Hongik University have simply reinvented themselves as a big brand shopping district, a less viable option for a place like Insa-dong.

"I think we're at a crucial point in time where there needs to be a discussion about how we can redefine Insa-dong's identity," says Kim Eun-hee, a policy head at Urban Action Network, a civic group that has spoken out against Insa-dong's gentrification in the past.