Travelogue in Bongsugol — A 3-Day, 2-Night Trip Through Tongyeong’s Bongsugol
A 3-day, 2-night journey through Bongsugol, a small village in Tongyeong where past and present coexist. From locally run cafés and restaurants to the Jeon Hyeokrim Art Museum, bookstores, and guesthouses, discover the spots that reveal Bongsugol’s true character.
Is it possible to truly understand a travel destination without actually living there? In Bongsugol, a quiet neighborhood just a step away from Tongyeong’s tourist sites, you can take a leisurely look at daily life as it really happens.
Words Parc Jinmyoung
Photos Kim Yoonkyung
Known to locals as a spot for cherry blossoms or as the alley of steamed fish restaurants, Bongsugol is a small village nestled beneath Mireuksan Mountain. It carefully preserves traces of the past: low, charming houses, a bathhouse chimney poking up between them, and a village guardian tree that has watched over the community for generations. From historic sites that carry Tongyeong’s past—Mireuksan, where the Buddha Maitreya is said to have descended; Yonghwasa Temple, built during the Silla dynasty; and the museum of abstract painter Jeon Hyeokrim, who once lived in Bongsugol—to spaces that showcase Tongyeong’s present, such as publishers and bookstores that introduce the city through books, and cafés, restaurants, and guesthouses run by people born and raised here, Bongsugol has much to offer. Once merely a passage travelers used on their way up Mireuksan, Bongsugol is now beloved as a neighborhood where Tongyeong’s past and present coexist.
Tip. For a deeper experience of Bongsugol, consider joining “Bongsugol 3 Nights 4 Days Stay,” a travel program by Traveling Witch that lets you freely use spaces around the village, take part in community gatherings, and enjoy local culture. Points earned during the program can be used like cash for various activities.
DAY 1
2:00 PM Café Buen
At the heart of Bongsugol stands a village guardian tree that has offered wide shade as a resting spot for generations. Café Buen is a place where you can enjoy a cup of coffee while gazing at that very tree. The original terrazzo floor has been preserved and filled with retro furniture and knickknacks, giving the space the cozy feel of visiting a grandmother’s house. The signature menu features gluten-free desserts made with rice flour and almond flour—square egg tarts, pies, cookies, and muffins—alongside a variety of coffee, ades, and teas. Don’t miss the misutgaru (roasted grain powder drink), made from grains grown by the owner’s grandmother; its nutty, sweet flavor is perfect for quenching thirst.
4:00 PM Traveling Witch Lounge
As you walk up the gentle slope toward Mireuksan, you’ll pass elderly residents of Bongsugol playing baduk (a strategic board game) or chatting idly in the shade of cherry trees—a warm, familiar scene. Traveling Witch, a local travel agency, is run by Jeong Eunsuk, who fell in love with this humble charm and relocated to Tongyeong. Here, you can plan your trip, take a break over tea, and pick up souvenirs to remember your travels, including tea bags inspired by Tongyeong and curated local goods.
6:00 PM Baekseo Naengmyeon
Come dinnertime, a long line forms outside Baekseo Naengmyeon, Bongsugol’s only cold noodle restaurant. It’s a rare sight in this small rural village—elderly residents patiently waiting in line for a bowl of naengmyeon (cold buckwheat noodles). The mul naengmyeon (cold noodle soup) here strikes a balance between Pyongyang-style and Hamhung-style naengmyeon. The thin buckwheat noodles give it a texture similar to Pyongyang naengmyeon, but the broth carries the bold, savory depth of Hamhung-style. The bibim naengmyeon (spicy mixed cold noodles), with its tangy-sweet sauce and chewy noodles, brings to mind Busan’s milmyeon (wheat noodles). Perhaps because the owner learned the craft at a naengmyeon restaurant now in its third generation, there’s a real sense of artisanal depth in the flavor. Beyond naengmyeon, the menu also includes onmyeon (warm noodle soup), galbitang (short rib soup), and dumplings. The menu board, hand-illustrated by the owner’s husband Baek Seonghyeon, a former illustrator, is a nice touch.
23 Bongsudolsaem-gil, Tongyeong-si
8:00 PM Café Naeseongjeok Salon Hosim
Wandering through the alleys of Bongsugol, you might notice illustrations drawn in marker on the walls, catching your eye. Rendered in a round, cute style that playfully captures the beauty of Bongsugol, they’re bound to bring a smile. These are the work of illustrator Babjang, who moved to Tongyeong, his grandfather’s hometown. Café Naeseongjeok Salon Hosim is the space he runs. It reportedly took him a year to find this building, which felt just right. A café and studio restored from a house built in 1976, it displays not only Babjang’s illustrations but also works by various artists he has collected. In another room inside the café, take a look at faded photographs capturing his grandfather’s youth and scenes of old Tongyeong.
The café normally closes at 7 p.m., but its lights stay on late into the evening when the Bongsugol stay program “Owl’s World Tour” is held. Lit up by a chandelier hanging from the high ceiling, Naeseongjeok Salon Hosim takes on a different charm at night than during the day. Once you settle in at a table for four, a world tour begins with an introduction from Babjang himself. It’s a special experience of nostalgic storytelling, where everyone unpacks their own memories along the way.
DAY 2
10:00 AM Yoga Dabansa
Perched on a gentle hill, Yoga Dabansa offers a panoramic view of Bongsu-gol while you focus inward on body and mind. Studio director Jeong Daeun specializes in Hatha yoga, which builds strength and flexibility by holding poses for extended periods, and Ashtanga yoga, which links breath and movement through a set sequence. Today's class is Ashtanga. Guided by Jeong's steady, clear voice, each student moves at their own breathing pace. Muscles stiff from a night's sleep awaken, the mind sharpens, and the restless chatter of thought settles into calm.
12:00 Ji_ssert
Thanks to the fame of Daejeon's Sungsimdang bakery, hunting down local bakeries has become a new travel trend, and Bongsu-gol is no exception. With its exotic facade, Ji_ssert is one of Tongyeong's must-visit bakery pilgrimage spots. Located beside the village's sacred old tree, Ji_ssert bakes a range of desserts using organic French flour and butter. Its signature items include salt bread, green onion mentaiko baguette, and croissants, alongside trendy creations like Dubai chocolate and crookies, each given Ji_ssert's own twist. Note that the bakery doesn't serve drinks, keeping the focus solely on the bread.
15:00 Kim Seonsaeng Chungmu Gimbap
Most restaurants in Bongsu-gol close for a break between 3 and 5 p.m. If hunger strikes during this awkward window, head to Kim Seonsaeng Chungmu Gimbap at the entrance to the neighborhood. This restaurant specializes in chungmu gimbap: plain white rice rolled in unseasoned dried laver, served alongside diced radish kimchi, fish cake, and seasoned squid. Chungmu gimbap is a Tongyeong specialty born of necessity — made with ingredients and methods that kept it from spoiling so fishermen could carry it out to sea. Like the sailors of old refueling on this spicy, tangy gimbap, you'll find your plate emptied in no time.
49 Bongsu-ro, Tongyeong-si
16:00 Jeon Hyeokrim Art Museum
You won't find the sea itself in Bongsu-gol, but you will find paintings of it. That's because the neighborhood is home to the Jeon Hyeokrim Art Museum, dedicated to the life and work of Tongyeong-born painter Jeon Hyeokrim — dubbed the magician of color, the painter of the sea, and a pioneer of Korean abstract art. Bongsu-gol was where Jeon lived for nearly 30 years. Before his death, he tore down his house together with his son, painter Jeon Yeonggeun, and built the museum in its place.
Guests who join the Bongsu-gol Stay program can tour the museum with a private docent tour led by Jeon Yeonggeun himself, who also serves as the museum's director. It's a chance to explore Jeon Hyeokrim's life and artistic philosophy in depth — from his school days alongside poet Kim Chun-su and painter Lee Jung-seob, to the stories behind his works, to his later years spent still holding pencil, brush, and clay, his passion for art undimmed. Past the first floor, home to signature works like 'Tongyeong Harbor' and 'New Mandala,' the second floor displays the art tools and shirts Jeon once used and wore, before arriving at the third floor, devoted to the works of Jeon Yeonggeun. Standing before 'Circus,' a massive canvas depicting a childhood memory, Jeon says, “Early on, I could never shake comparisons to my father's style.” Placed beside it, the painting 'Blossoming' reveals the struggle behind his effort to carve out an artistic world distinct from his father's. In Bongsu-gol, artistic inspiration lives on, passed from father to son.
10 Bongsu 1-gil, Tongyeong-si
18:00 Nijiten
At the entrance to the alley near the Jeon Hyeokrim Art Museum stands a restaurant that draws lines even on weekdays. It's Nijiten, a tempura rice bowl specialist run by chef Moon Hyeonjun, a Japanese-cuisine expert who has chased seaside towns simply for his love of the ocean. Now in his sixth year after moving from Seoul to Jeju and then to Tongyeong, he settled here, captivated by the charm of Bongsu-gol. His rice bowls, topped with thinly battered eel, shrimp, shishito pepper, and eggplant, carry the full spectrum of flavors from Tongyeong's nature — living up to the restaurant's name, which means 'rainbow' in Japanese.
DAY 3
7:00 Mireuksan Cypress Forest Trail
Mireuksan, one of Korea's 100 great mountains, sees plenty of people greeting the morning at its trailhead. A group of young soccer players in jerseys reading 'Tongyeong High' — each dreaming of becoming the next Kim Minjae — are deep into their conditioning drills. I set out early to join the forest walk tea gathering. Past Yonghwasa Temple, a thousand-year-old temple founded during the reign of Silla's Queen Seondeok, lies a broad grassy clearing on the mountainside — the setting for the tea gathering. “'Forest Walk,' a blend of mugwort and balloon flower root, was inspired by a solitary walk I once took here in the empty hours before dawn,” says director Jeong Eunsuk as she pours the tea. The clear, golden brew carries the faint scent of mugwort and balloon flower root, mingling with the earthy fragrance drifting in from the forest.
107-82 Bongsu-ro, Tongyeong-si
11:00 Yong Tofu
After the morning walk, I head to Yong Tofu, the first dedicated tofu restaurant to open in Bongsu-gol, a neighborhood otherwise lined with steamed fish restaurants. The table fills up with tofu hot pot made from house-made domestic soybean tofu loaded with mushrooms, alongside neat, wholesome side dishes like stir-fried anchovies, scallion kimchi, and seasoned eggplant. The tofu hot pot, packed with shiitake, wood ear, pine mushrooms, and other varieties whose names I don't even know, delivers deep, rich flavor. There are also dishes that pair well with makgeolli, like tofu kimchi and tofu bossam.
1 Bongsu 3-gil, Tongyeong-si, Gyeongsangnam-do
13:00 Dolsaemgil
Take a break at Dolsaemgil, a cafe with a beautiful trifoliate orange hedge and a stream-fed garden. Opened by an architect from Tongyeong, this tea house was built using reclaimed wood collected from construction sites, combined with the architect’s own expertise. In the space, enclosed on three sides by floor-to-ceiling glass, you’ll find all kinds of upcycling ideas at work—rafters over a century old, a wooden beam turned into a chair, a wooden porch board reborn as a table. The signature menu item is black sesame milk tea topped with dango (sweet rice dumplings). The plating is equally impressive, featuring sesame brittle made fresh every morning and beautiful flower garnishes gathered from the cafe’s own garden.
15:00 Bomnal Bookshop
Located next to the Jeon Hyeokrim Art Museum, Bomnal Bookshop is a neighborhood bookstore run by the publisher Namhaeui Bomnal. Housed in a renovated old house, its walls are lined with books published by Namhaeui Bomnal alongside works by Tongyeong-born writers, spanning humanities, fiction, essays, and children’s books. Slide the bookshelf near the entrance to one side, and a hidden space appears. At the end of a dark, narrow staircase lies an attic filled with objects that offer a glimpse into Tongyeong’s traditional arts—a nameplate and mirror crafted by a mother-of-pearl inlay master, a low table, and traditional furniture adorned by the touch of a duseokjang (a master craftsman who makes brass fittings by alloying copper and tin). Book the ‘Book-Reading Attic’ space rental service, or join the three-night, four-day Bongsugol stay program, and you can immerse yourself here in books and Tongyeong’s artistic sensibility.
20:00 Sasaroun Deokdam
A five-minute walk from Jungang Market, the whiskey bar Sasaroun Deokdam is run by Kim Hojin, a Bongsugol resident. As you approach, stickers on the window catch your eye—‘Samrak Framing Shop,’ ‘Fortune-Telling House,’ ‘Whiskey.’ Imagining the many people who once passed through this building for entirely different purposes as its use changed over the years, you open the old sliding door. Inside, the reddish-brown tones pair beautifully with the ceiling of rafters and wooden planks. Kim Hojin, a performance planner by trade, opened Sasaroun Deokdam to bring bar culture to his hometown of Tongyeong. Savor the music alongside his curated sampler of three whiskeys and discover your own taste. The bar also hosts a variety of events centered on drinks and music, including performances by guitarists, DJs, and other musicians, listening sessions, and book clubs.
