Jongno-gu Hyehwaro 9-gil Named 'Han Musuk-gil'... Donhwamun-ro Designated as Honorary 'Gugak-ro'

To Honor Han Musuk, a Major Contributor to Korean Literary History, 'Han Musuk-gil' Designated... Donhwamun-ro, Deeply Connected with Gugak Since Ancient Times, Granted Honorary Road Name 'Gugak-ro'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Jongno-gu (Mayor Kim Young-jong) announced on the 23rd that honorary street names ‘Han Musuk-gil’ and ‘Gugak-ro’ will be respectively assigned to two road sections, ‘Hyehwa-ro 9-gil’ and ‘Donhwamun-ro’, within the district.

Honorary street names differ from official street names and are designated to attract businesses, promote international exchange, and honor historical figures or local culture. The district has steadily promoted honorary street naming projects reflecting Jongno’s unique traditions and historical characteristics, assigning names such as ‘Gamgodang-gil’, ‘Hangeul-gil’, and ‘Songhae-gil’.

Since many great figures and cultural artists have lived in Jongno, the honorary street names aim to reflect personalities or local culture in the road names to enhance residents’ pride and develop related tourism content, thereby contributing to revitalizing the local economy.

The newly designated honorary street name ‘Han Musuk-gil’ covers a 343-meter section from Hyehwa-ro 23 to Seonggyungwan-ro 40 in Hyehwa-dong.

Han Musuk (1918?1993), born in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, was a Korean novelist who served as the representative director of the Korean Novelists Association, president of the Korean Women Writers’ Association, and director of the Korean Writers’ Association. She is recognized for her significant contributions to literary history by embedding Korean identity and historical consciousness in her works, and she received honors such as the Republic of Korea Cultural Medal and the Grand Prize of the Republic of Korea Literature Award.

Accordingly, Jongno-gu has been holding the award ceremony in cooperation with the Han Musuk Foundation since the 21st Han Musuk Literary Award in 2015 to honor Han Musuk and support the promotion of Korean literature.

On the 21st, a ‘Han Musuk-gil Honorary Street Name Plaque Unveiling Ceremony’ will be held in front of the Han Musuk Literature Museum to commemorate the assignment of this honorary street name. The event will be conducted with a minimum number of attendees and strict adherence to social distancing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Following this, ‘Gugak-ro’ covers a 520-meter section from Yulgok-ro 96 in Jongno 1-ga to 4-ga-dong to Donhwamun-ro 46.

Donhwamun-ro, also known as the ‘King’s Road,’ was the path the king took during the Joseon Dynasty to meet his subjects directly. True to its name, the king listened to the voices of the people here and passed through Donhwamun-ro during royal processions to Jongmyo Shrine, secondary palaces, and when greeting envoys.

Moreover, this area has long been closely associated with gugak (traditional Korean music). It was home to historically significant gugak sites such as the predecessor of the National Gugak Center, the Yi Wangjik Aakbu which performed ritual music at Jongmyo and Munmyo until just before liberation, Undang Inn operated by Gayageum master and human cultural asset Park Gwi-hee from 1958 to 1989, Ojinam?one of Seoul’s three major traditional entertainment houses where many masters and singers performed?and the Joseon Vocal Music Research Hall which operated from 1937 to 1943.

Today, the Seoul Donhwamun Gugakdang, Seoul Uri Sori Museum, Uri Sori Library, and Seoul Intangible Cultural Heritage Education Exhibition Hall continue the legacy of gugak on Donhwamun-ro. Jongno-gu also consistently holds various related events such as the Gugak Festival on Gugak-ro and the Korea Gugak Festival to revitalize Donhwamun-ro, and has now designated the official street name ‘Donhwamun-ro’ as the honorary street name ‘Gugak-ro’.

Meanwhile, last October, Jongno-gu assigned honorary street names ‘Women Independence Activists-gil’, ‘Simsan-gil’, and ‘Mugyejeongsa-gil’ to three locations: ‘Yulgok-ro 3-gil’, ‘Seonggyungwan-ro 5-gil’, and ‘Changuimun-ro 5-ga-gil’. On the 23rd of this month, the usage period for the honorary street name ‘Songhae-gil (Supyo-ro)’, which was set to expire, was extended by five years.

Mayor Kim Young-jong stated, “We will continue to promote the honorary street naming project to preserve and widely publicize Jongno’s historical and cultural resources, which have retained the 600-year history of the Joseon Dynasty.”