Ihwa-dong had a pear orchid during the Joseon Dynasty. The name of the neighborhood came from Ihwajeong Pavilion, which used to stand there. These days, this neighborhood by Naksan Mountain is called Ihwa Village. What a pretty name! But, if you look into the history of Ihwa Village, it’s anything but pretty. After the Korean War, refugees scampered to Seoul and began to build shacks at the slopes of Naksan Mountain, creating a village. Old shacks are all gone now, but you can easily imagine how it'd have looked like by looking at the village sprouted up on a steep hill with winding paths.

But under the path where we walked, there was Ihwajang House, a private house of Seung Man Rhee, a former president of Korea who served as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd president after the liberation of Korea, so it was slightly better than other areas. This is thanks to the establishment of the Naksan Public Housing Complex built by the Daehan Housing Corporation, which is a former body of LH Corp of today, to refurbish the area around Ihwajang House.

The public housing built in that project was a two-story building with four housings per building with about a floor of 49.6m2 each, on 132.2m2 land. A total of 142 households lived there. They were cement-built housings, not soil-based ones, and had slate roofs. The housings had a separate living space from the bedrooms, and even had an in-house toilet! Of course, it’s difficult to see how it’s a good living space with today’s standards, but it was an advanced living space at that time. Those were built on stone foundations that were established upon the slopes of Naksan Mountain that we walked early on. They’re very old now, about 70 years since their initial establishment.

But some of them are registered as Seoul's Future Heritage, tangible and intangible modern cultural assets that are worth preserving for future generations of Seoul, and turned into small museums and cafes. Maybe they are worth a visit when you’ve got time.

However, it seems that it was a curse in disguise. The story goes like this. It’s a bit strange to say it, but anyhow. In around 2006, the city launched the Naksan Project as a part of its public art project and painted Ihwa Village with murals. Artists came and painted a variety of murals. Living conditions were improved, and the village became cleaner and prettier. But as soon as people heard about it, tourists came swarming into the village's alleyways, which disturbed the residents' quiet daily lives. To tourists, it was a charming little village with beautiful old scenery and pretty murals, but it was where people lived.

Please bear in mind that the ‘Trail of Life’ that we’re walking can be where people have their daily lives, so we’d better be careful. And let’s keep our voices down! At the top of Ihwa Village, there is a small resting place called Ihwa Maru. You can also see small, quaint workshops such as ‘’ or ‘.’ How magnificent is the view from this part of the fortress wall? The neighborhood below the walls is Changsin-dong, where we’re headed next.

Now, let’s leave Ihwa Village and go to Changsin-dong, where I used to live. Exit by the gate on the Naksan Section of the Seoul Fortress Trail, and you’re in Changsin-dong.

Let’s exit the fortress gate and leave the walled city. We’re headed to Changsin-dong Sewing Street. There are many ways to get to the Sewing Street, but we’re going to take the outer path of the Naksan Section of the Seoul Fortress Trail. You can take the shorter path toward the residential area, but that path doesn’t have a proper pedestrian path and is a bit dangerous. Most of all, you cannot miss the gentle mood of Naksan Section of the Seoul Fortress Trail.

During my days in the sewing factory, I climbed the mountain along the Naksan Section of the Seoul Fortress Trail at the moments when I felt beaten down by life. It's not a high mountain, but it was enough for me to look down at downtown Seoul and remind myself that I would be a successful fashion designer. It’s a special place where I have lots of fond memories.

Go down about 500m along the fortress trail, and you’ll meet Deoksan Police Sub-station to your left. Take the uphill path in front of the station, then turn right, and go down by about 150m. Follow the right path and go down to Changsin-dong Sewing Street.

Was it easy to find your way there? This neighborhood is an absolute maze and has a lot of hills, so it’s not easy to navigate. But watch out for the street names, and you should be fine. Did you hear the sounds of sewing machines coming out from ajar doors while you were walking here? Then you’re at the right place.