Gwangju’s Penguin Village

While the Penguin Village in Gwangju, South Korea is not a run-of-the-mill tourist attraction, this old narrow corner holds a very interesting story that itself is vivid and unique.

In a familiarization tour by the Korea Tourism Organization Manila office with the Gwangju Tourism Organization, select members of the media had the opportunity to visit this quaint village located just less than 0.68 km2 toward Yangnim-dong and a walking distance to Sakjin Park.

It is said that the Penguin Village was formed when a foreign missionary had set up a school and a hospital. As years went by, the village has become a witness to Korea's historical events:
Sam-il Independent Movement, the Korean War, and the Democratic Uprising. Its name was derived from the way the elderly with knee pain waddle like penguins.

When an unfortunate incident left most of the village burned down in 1978, residents decided to clean up the scorched houses and retrieve things such as clocks, old piano or telephones to exhibit on the walls. Children's artworks adorn almost every corner of Penguin Village.

Visitors may chance upon a mural of K-pop idol J-Hope of BTS. The art was created and sponsored by his fan club, Adonis. Gwangju is his hometown.

Another known public figure from Gwangju is Bae Suzy and Yang Hyeon-jong, a professional baseball pitcher for the Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization.

To get to Gwangju, one takes a flight from Jeju or a KTX ride from Seoul that usually takes two and a half hour.