Ihwa Mural Village

Ihwa-dong Mural Village, situated at the foot of Naksan Park, became what it is today through the “Naksan Project” public art campaign held in 2006 where artists, university students and volunteers came together to create paintings and sculptures throughout the village.IMV has become one of best ‘photo spots’ for tourists through representation
via three distinct types of media – murals, popular culture, and Instagram. Ihwa Village is one of a few still remaining moon villages in Seoul.

‘Moon villages’, daldongnae in Korean, refer to urban hillside shantytowns. The seemingly
romantic name signifies settlements are located high enough to even touch the
moon. Refugees from the Korean War (1950–1953), the urban poor, and impoverished
migrants from rural areas built homes on unoccupied land on slopes too steep for megaconstruction,
without planning and infrastructure, and frequently without legal rights.