Stone walls glowing under Seorak foliage: 500-year-old hanok village revives as travel gem

Vines cover the stone walls and tiled roofs of Sangdomun Stone Wall Village in Sokcho, Gangwon Province. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

As autumn colors sweep across Mount Seorak, a quiet 500-year-old stone-wall village at its foothills is capturing travelers’ hearts.

Sangdomun Village in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, is home to around 150 households and traces its history back to the early Joseon period (1392-1910).

Once a popular stop for Seorak tourists, it faded from memory as large-scale resorts and new attractions emerged across Gangwon Province. But in recent years, the tranquil hanok-lined settlement has been rediscovered by younger visitors seeking slower, quieter journeys.

The village, formed by families of the Andong Jang, Miryang Park, Gangneung Park, Gangneung Kim and Haeju Oh clans, has been inhabited by their descendants for centuries.

An alleyway in Sangdomun Village is lined with traditional stone walls. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

Legend has it that Buddhist monks Wonhyo and Uisang achieved enlightenment here while traveling to Mount Seorak, after hearing a mystical chanting sound from the forest. The village name, Domun — meaning “gate to enlightenment” — stems from this tale.

Sangdomun’s most striking feature is its endless stone walls, built shoulder-high with rough, round rocks polished smooth by the nearby stream. Between the stones, moss and vines grow thick, bearing witness to centuries of weathering.

Residents decorate the walls with hand-painted stones featuring cats, sparrows and owls, adding a touch of whimsy to the rustic alleys where morning glories and pumpkin flowers bloom.

“Sangdomun sits on rocky ground — dig anywhere and you’ll hit stones,” said Park Seong-gyun, the village head. “That’s why our ancestors began stacking them into walls long ago.” Protected by the mountain range during the Korean War, the village’s traditional appearance has remained remarkably intact.

Green moss grows between the stones of Sangdomun Village’s old walls. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

From folk lodgings to ‘stone wall village’ revival

The rows of tiled hanok roofs add to the serene landscape. Sangdomun, once home to tile kilns known locally as “jae,” had more tiled houses than thatched ones — rare for rural Korea.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the village thrived as a tourist hub, designated as a “minbak village” where visitors could stay overnight in private homes. “Tour buses used to line up outside every weekend,” recalled one longtime resident.

As tourism patterns changed and residents aged, the crowds disappeared — until 2019, when the government rebranded Sangdomun as a “Stone Wall Village.” The shift sparked a revival: New hanok cafes, self-service photo studios and small galleries have since drawn travelers interested in heritage, aesthetics and quietude.

An old house in Sangdomun Village retains the charm of a traditional guesthouse. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

To the southwest lies a dense pine forest, maintained for generations by a local group called Songgye. The pines — mainly hansol yuksong, a prized strain of red pine — were planted about 80 years ago to shield the village from flooding before modern levees were built.

“As children, we all played here,” said Park. “Back then the trees were small, but now they form a towering green wall.”

Art installations dot the forest — carved bears and squirrels tucked between trees — part of the village’s rebranding project. The eastern side leads to Hakmujeong Pavilion, built in 1934 by scholar and independence activist Oh Yun-hwan, who was born in Sangdomun.

Oh resisted Japanese colonial rule, refusing to shave his head or adopt a Japanese name, and devoted his later years to teaching local students. His pavilion, surrounded by pine trees and bamboo, symbolizes wisdom and purity — its name meaning “the crane’s dance.” Verses from Oh’s poem “Gugokga” adorn stone walls throughout the village.

Blue-tiled roofs rise behind stone walls adorned with blooming morning glories in Sangdomun Village. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

A riverside walk framed by Seorak

A narrow trail winds through the forest toward the Ssangcheon Stream embankment — a route locals insist no visitor should miss.

On one side stretch the pine groves and stone walls; on the other, the crystal-clear stream and the towering peaks of Mount Seorak. The riverbed gleams with smooth white stones, their brightness echoing the walls of the village above.

At the trail’s end stands a round stone monument called Haengjuseokbeom, or “stone sail.” Believed to have been first built some 400 years ago when villagers imagined their settlement as a ship in need of a sail, it was reconstructed in 2013 after being washed away in a 1954 flood.

As sunlight filters through the pines and glints off the ancient walls, Sangdomun Village — once forgotten — now feels alive again, a living reminder that tranquility and tradition can still find their place beneath Seorak’s autumn leaves.

Mount Seorak stretches like a folding screen beyond the embankment trail of Sangdomun Stone Wall Village. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.