Dongpirang Mural Village

Dongpirang is the steep quarter of small houses on the eastern hill above Tongyeong's Gangguan harbour, and it was slated for clearance so the ground could be turned into a park recreating the old naval headquarters. In 2007 a citizens' group ran a mural competition; painters came, the alleys were covered in work, visitors started arriving, and the demolition plan was dropped. The murals have been repainted in cycles since, so what is on the walls now is not what was there at the start. The lanes are narrow and steep, they climb to a viewpoint over the harbour and the fishing boats, and - the part worth remembering - people live in them. Signs ask visitors to keep their voices down and not to photograph into windows or doorways, because the same success that saved the houses made daily life here a spectacle. It is free and takes an hour.

What you actually see

• The painted alleys - murals repainted in cycles since 2007.
• The harbour viewpoint - Gangguan and the fishing fleet below.
• The steep lanes - narrow, stepped, residential throughout.
• The reason it exists - a demolition plan stopped by paint.

When to go

April to June and September to November. Mornings are quiet. Weekends bring coach groups into lanes that are barely wide enough.

Honest expectations

It is a residential neighbourhood, not an open-air gallery - keep quiet and do not photograph into homes. The climb is steep. Murals get painted over, so specific ones you have seen in photographs may be gone.

Nearby

Gangguan harbour, the Tongyeong central market and the cable car are below.