[Photo] The Montmartre of Tongyeong

Posted on : 2008-06-27 13:44 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST

TONGYEONG - Dongpirang, in the village of Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, is known as the Montmartre of Tongyeong. Paintings of birds and flowers, sheets of music and book covers can be found in every nook and cranny of the village’s once bare surfaces.

What are the pictures? They stand guard over Dongpirang, or East Hill, ensuring that its residents continue to have the right to live there.

Last year, the municipal government of Tongyeong tried to redevelop the village, to the objections of village residents. In response, the civic organization Blue Tongyeong 21 held an art contest to draw attention to the residents’ plight. In the process, the village’s narrow alleyways, which are often found in traditional Korean villages, were adorned with many colorful masterpieces. Artists and students came from across the country and turned the village into a big canvas, covering the crumbling walls and blackened chimneys with their creations.

As the news of the contest spread, Dongpirang became famous and now draws a large number of tourists, who walk the narrow alleyways of the village, giving it new life.

Yun Mi-suk, Blue Tongyeong 21’s director, said, “These alleyways contain the history of our lives as Koreans. We will hold another contest soon.”

The municipal government of Tongyeong has not yet initiated its redevelopment plan.


Photo by Lee Jong-geun/The Hankyoreh.