School with old history and great tradition

At the end of the hill on Gyedong-gil Road, you will see a western-style stone building which stands out among surrounding hanoks. This is Choong Ang High School that has a history of over 100 years. This historical place is especially popular among foreign tourists because it is famous as the filming site of the Korean TV drama “Winter Sonata”. You can easily see tourists buy pictures of Korean pop stars at nearby shops.

Then, what is it like inside the school? The school, built in the early 20th century, looks like a college campus in foreign countries. It looks quite different from most other Korean high schools that are more box shape. It is said that the building was influenced by western schools in Europe and the U.S.

Unlike the main building in the front, the east and west buildings are made of red bricks. Between the buildings, you can see a small garden with old streetlamps, benches and garden trees, which are hard to find in other high schools. The three buildings have been designated as Historic Sites because the well-preserved buildings are helpful for research on Korea’s architectural style in the early 20th century, which features influences of foreign architectures.

For your information, the school is not open to the public on weekdays so as not to disturb students. Even if it is open for certain hours on the weekends, you should check the opening hours in advance.