Dongpirang wall painting village
By Shim Hyun-chul
Staff Reporter
On the cracked wall graffiti, colorful fish swim. Sketches and drawings of morning glories and parachute-donned ants decorate the stairway leading to the roof, while little bugs are painted on top of the letterbox and fishing boats on the walls.
This place is Dongpirang, a small village located in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, where small colorful houses are gathered together under the clear autumn sky. The walls that lead to the village are decorated with fairy tale-like paintings. The fish, morning glories, ants and small bugs can be found on the winding walls of Dongpirang. Walk through the road surrounded by the walls and it will feel like the drawings are whispering something to you.
Dongpirang, where you can see the blue sea with a single glance, is also the place where Admiral Yi Sun-shin (1545-1598) set his military camp Tongjaeyeong during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). Literally meaning ``the cliff of the East,'' the village of 53 families is located on the hill behind Joongang market, Joongang-dong, Tongyeong.
Dongpirang was once on the verge of being destroyed due to redevelopment plans, but thanks to the civil group TYagenda 21's ``Paint the Streets of Dongpirang With Colors and Sketches'' campaign, university art majors and others helped decorate the old walls, fences, stairs, chimneys and even water tanks with various paintings.
As the village turned bright with colorful drawings, plus the fact that the Gangguan Port is right below, Dongpirang became Korea's Montmartre, attracting tourists during weekends and even on weekdays.
As it became a popular tourist spot, the plans of purchasing the whole area, restore Dongporu, a battle fort, and create a park around it was canceled.
``There were only village people here in the past, but now students come to paint the walls, take pictures of my house and even me. I like it. I guess the people who came to take pictures said something to the city, I hear that they are not going to tear down the village. We are grateful,'' Hwang Du-ri, who lived more than 20 years in the village, said.