Ihwa Mural Village

Ihwa-dong climbs the slope below Naksan, along the line of the old Seoul city wall, and the houses are small and packed - a hilltop moon village, built by working families who could not afford housing on the flat ground below. In 2006 a government arts project brought artists to paint the alleys, and it worked as regeneration in the way these schemes are supposed to: visitors came, cafes opened, the demolition pressure lifted. It also worked in the way they are not supposed to. Crowds arrived at all hours, photographed into windows and left rubbish, and in 2016 residents painted over the two best-known murals - the flower staircase and the koi staircase - as a protest. Some work has since been repainted, some has not. The stairs are steep and the views over the city from the wall path at the top are the reliable part. Go quietly, in the daytime, and treat it as somebody's street.

What you'll find

• The painted alleys - what remains, repainted in patches since 2006.
• The steep staircases - including where the destroyed murals were.
• The city wall path - Naksan park and the view along the ramparts.
• The lived-in slope - small houses, still occupied.

When to go

April to June and September to November, in daylight only. Weekday mornings. Evening visits are what caused the conflict in the first place.

What to expect

The famous staircase murals were destroyed by residents and may not be there. This is a residential hill with steep steps - keep quiet, take no photographs into homes, and do not visit at night.

Nearby

Naksan park and the city wall trail are above; Daehangno and Hyehwa are below.

Key facts