[Jo Yongjun's Travel Stories] Music Becomes Travel!

A Nostalgic Music Journey to Daegu
The Eternal Balladeer, Kim Kwang-seok's Dasi Geurigi-gil
Nostalgia of Space, Hi-Mart Music Listening Room

Music has the power to move people's hearts. Music encountered while traveling is even more so. In spring, when all things come to life, let's embark on a journey to a romantic space that will leave warm memories like the gentle sunshine. A music trip to Daegu is heartwarming with memories. Next to Bangcheon Market, on Kim Gwang-seok Dasi Geurigi-gil (Kim Gwang-seok Repainting Street), the warmth of a musician who embraced an era lingers. It takes at least three to four hours to walk this street, which is only about 350 meters long. This is because of the singer Kim Gwang-seok, remembered for his great resonance. Songs like 'Around Thirty,' 'Though I Loved You,' 'Writing a Letter in the Cloudy Autumn Sky,' 'Becoming Dust,' 'Letter from a Private,' and 'Where the Wind Blows...' remain as masterpieces that touch the heart, left behind by a genius singer who left too early. Also, at the Dongseong-ro Hi-Mart Music Listening Room, the nostalgia of a space that has quietly endured for many years is conveyed. At Jingo Alley Mido Coffee Shop, which has preserved its original form for nearly 100 years, old pop music flows. And that's not all. There is Nokhyang, which has carried on the legacy of Daegu's music listening rooms. It is the first classical music listening room in Korea, opened in 1946 in Hyangchon-dong. When you get intoxicated with melodies around Daegu Jung-gu, the day in spring feels too short.

On Kim Gwang-seok Drawing Street, the warmth of a musician who embraced an era lingers. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

The nostalgic music journey begins at Kim Gwang-seok Dasi Geurigi-gil. Kim Gwang-seok was born in Daebong-dong and lived there until he was five. The street was created borrowing his voice and smile in the alley next to the Sincheon embankment where he played as a child.

After ten years, I visited Kim Gwang-seok Geurigi-gil again. Standing at the entrance, the statue of Kim Gwang-seok playing guitar and smiling still welcomes visitors. Along the approximately 350-meter alley, Kim Gwang-seok's life and music are gently blended. Lyrics such as 'Wait for Me,' 'Story of an Elderly Couple in Their 60s,' and 'Letter from a Private' are decorated as murals, and the street is filled with guitar-shaped benches and sculptures modeled after Kim Gwang-seok. The speaker plays the eternal singer's precious songs all day long.

In 2010, new paintings depicting Kim Gwang-seok were added next to the faded murals. An outdoor concert hall is located in the middle of the street, and on weekends, singers dreaming of becoming the next Kim Gwang-seok perform busking. In January, a memorial concert for the late Kim Gwang-seok's 27th anniversary was held. When the sun sets, lights on Kim Gwang-seok Light Street illuminate, helping with gentle reminiscence and strolls.

At the large guitar sculpture at the end of the street, turning the corner leads to Kim Gwang-seok Story House. It is a place to encounter Kim Gwang-seok's life, songs, and albums. You can see photos from his middle and high school days when he was active in the orchestra and choir, images from his time as a member of Noreul Chajneun Saramdeul and Dongmulwon bands, and concert videos. Kim Gwang-seok held over 1,000 concerts touring small theaters during his lifetime. There is also a listening space to enjoy nostalgic songs alone.

On Kim Gwang-seok Drawing Street, the timeless singer's precious songs flow all day long. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

Kim Gwang-seok dreamed of traveling the world riding a Harley-Davidson when he turned forty. The story of his unfulfilled dream, as he passed away at the age of 32, remains poignantly in the 'Where the Wind Blows' section inside Kim Gwang-seok Story House. Traces of overseas fans are found here and there, and parents sometimes visit with their children to reminisce. Visitors can send postcards provided here through a slow mailbox and purchase Kim Gwang-seok's albums and souvenirs.

Behind Kim Gwang-seok Dasi Geurigi-gil is Bangcheon Market. The market is filled with old shops, cafes, workshops, and photo studios clustered together. The small sculpture of Kim Gwang-seok sitting on a signboard catches the eye repeatedly. Kim Gwang-seok Dasi Geurigi-gil is open for free visits year-round.

In Daegu Jung-gu, melodies of memories overflow throughout the streets. Hi-Mart Music Listening Room, operated by the third generation, is a place full of nostalgia for those who spent their youth in Daegu during the 1970s and 1980s. 'Hi-Mart' means 'home of the heart' in German.

Kim Gwang-seok Drawing Street is a short path stretching 350 meters, but it takes three to four hours to walk. The frequent stops are due to the music heard from various spots along the way. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

Hi-Mart Music Listening Room opened in 1957 near the old Daegu Theater and moved to this Dongseong-ro (Gongpyeong-dong) location in 1983. After the first representative, the late Kim Soo-eok's daughter, the current operators are the couple of his grandson. Hi-Mart Music Listening Room was a space where classical club members mainly gathered and exchanged, and those members still visit here.

Passing through an alley tangled with chicken ribs restaurant signs, entering Hi-Mart Music Listening Room reveals a full retro atmosphere. There is a stage decorated with stained glass at the front, and a large relief on one wall featuring musicians is impressive. The space is filled with seats, a grand piano, and an organ, with a dimly lit DJ box on one side. Thousands of faded LP records and old audio equipment proudly show their age, and an old chalkboard for song requests is placed in a corner. Hi-Mart Music Listening Room also appeared in the movie The Divine Move: The Wrathful.

Recently, riding the retro wave, many young people visit here. Youths seeking the retro atmosphere request songs not only of classical music but also by Sanulrim and Kim Dong-ryul. The music from a listening room equipped with high-quality equipment in a spacious space delivers a heavy emotion that strikes the heart.

The owner here says, "When speakers and space absorb the years, the sound matures more." There are no strict rules at Hi-Mart Music Listening Room. You can freely request music, step out to the lounge to have tea or chat for a while, and then listen to your desired music again. The entrance fee is 8,000 won, including tea and light refreshments.

The scene of the DJ booth in the Hi-Mart music listening room

Among the two major legacies of Daegu music listening rooms, the other is Nokhyang. It is the first classical music listening room in Korea, opened in 1946 in Hyangchon-dong. It served as a gathering place for Daegu artists and moved several times before settling in the basement of Hyangchon Cultural Center in 2014. After the founder Lee Chang-soo, his son now maintains the place. There are early phonographs and LP records, and inside the modernized listening room, portraits of Korea's representative musicians stand out. You can enjoy classical music played by a stylish silver-haired DJ.

Heading toward the old downtown while holding onto the lingering nostalgia, Jingo Alley welcomes you. It is a Daegu downtown alley that has preserved nearly its original form for 100 years. 'Jin' in Jingo Alley means 'long' in Daegu dialect. Jeong So Pediatric Clinic is the oldest existing two-story Western-style house in Daegu. In the middle of the alley is Mido Coffee Shop. Here, the owner is over 70 years old, and longtime regular customers enjoy Ssanghwa-tang (herbal tea) while old pop music flows. Recently, a Hanok Starbucks opened in Jingo Alley.

Opposite Cheongra Hill is Daegu Gyesan Catholic Church (Historic Site), a symbolic building of the modern cultural alley. It is the first Western-style building built in Daegu. Originally a Korean-style church, it was rebuilt into its current form after a fire in 1902. The church, also called the 'Pointed House,' is Romanesque style with Gothic elements and is more atmospheric at night with outdoor lighting. The 1980s-style Seravi Music Coffee Shop opened as a set for the drama Love Rain, and you can enjoy the view of Gyesan Catholic Church through the window.

◇Travel Notes

△Getting There=From the Seoul metropolitan area, you can take the Gyeongbu Expressway or Jungbu Naeryuk Expressway, and exit at Bukdaegu IC to enter the city where Kim Gwang-seok Street is located.

△Attractions=Exploring the food at Seomun Market is also a must. Also, Apsan Park, a resting place for Daegu citizens, has the Nakdong River Victory Memorial Hall, cable cars, and observatories. Among them, the view of Daegu cityscape from the observatory after riding the cable car is spectacular.