31 Building

Umigwan (Korean: 우미관; Hanja: 優美館) was a historic movie theater in Gwancheol-dong, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. It was established in 1910 or 1911 by a Japanese person, initially under the name Golden Entertainment Hall (고등연예관; 黃金演藝館). It received the Umigwan name in December 1912. It was a large two-story brick building with a seating capacity of 1,000.The theater saw its heyday in the 1910s, before its competitors the Chosŏn Theater and Dansungsa became more established. It showed a significant number of silent short films in its first decade. It showed the first sound film in Korea in 1928.Its influence waned over time, although it remained in operation for even after the end of the Japanese colonial period in 1945. It was eventually destroyed during the 1950–1953 Korean War.The theater was reconstructed in 1959, next to the Whashin Department Store. The theater never regained its prestige, and eventually went out of business in 1982.

Hyeminseo (Korean: 혜민서; Hanja: 惠民署; MR: Hyeminsŏ) was the medical authority of the Joseon Dynasty in Seoul (then "Hanseong"), Korea. The officers were in charge of the treatment of commoners and medicine. In 1392, the year of the foundation of Joseon, the organ was established to succeed the Hyemingoguk (혜민고국; 惠民庫局), the former medical institution of Goryeo. In 1414, its name became Hyeminguk, and then finally changed to the name Hyeminseo in 1466 under the reign of Sejo of Joseon. It was abolished in 1882. The officers were in charge of producing medicines, teaching, and researching Korean medicine. Generally, four people were put to as the disciplines. Bureaucrats of Hyeminseo were also appointed through the gwageo recruitment examination. Hyeminseo aimed to benefit the people but its coverage was limited to commoners living in Hanyang. There was another medical authority called Hwarinseo. Collectively, the two were referred to as Yanguisa (양의사; 兩醫司; lit. "the two medical authorities").

Tapgol Park, formerly Pagoda Park, is a small (19,599 m2 [4.843 acres]) public park located at 99 Jong-ro (street), Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea. This park was once a site of Wongaksa (Buddhist Temple). The word tap means "pagoda", and the park gets its name from the Wongaksa Pagoda, a 10 storied stone pagoda (National Treasure No.2) located in the park. It was previously the site of a 15th-century Buddhist temple, and a 10 storied stone pagoda and a few relics of the temple still can be seen in the park. It was organized as a garden and national park by John McLeavy Brown, the Irish advisor to provincial subdivision in 1897. One of the monuments in the park is the Monument of Wongaksa built in 1471 to record the founding of Wongaksa (temple) in 1465. On the front is an inscription composed by Kim Suon with the calligraphy done by Seong Im. On the back is found an inscription composed by Seo Geo Jeong with the calligraphy done by Jeong Nam Jong. The turtle shaped base is constructed from granite and the body is cut from marble. The monument measures 1.3 meters/4.3 feet wide and stands 4.9 meters/16.2 feet in height. Two elaborately carved intertwined dragons rising toward the sky holding a Buddhist gem reside on the top of the monument. Monument of Wongaksa is Treasure #2. Tapgol Park is historically important as the site of the origin of the March 1st Movement 1919, an important part of the Korean independence movement as the first location for the reading of the Proclamation of Independence. There are a number of bas-relief statues representing Korean patriots, the Proclamation of Independence Monument, and a poem by Han Yong-un. As an important place in modern Korean history, it is a popular place for demonstrations of various types. It was the designated termination of the Grand Peace March for Democracy on June 24, 1986 that led to the acceptance of free elections by President Chun Doo-hwan of South Korea. It is served by Jongno 3-ga Station on Lines 1, 3 and 5 of the Seoul Subway.

Wongaksa Pagoda is a twelve metre high ten storey marble pagoda in the center of Seoul, South Korea. It was constructed in 1467 to form part of Wongaksa temple, that King Sejo had founded two years before on the site of an older Goryeo-period temple, Heungbok-sa. The temple was closed and turned into a kisaeng house by the (later deposed) king known as Yeonsan-gun (1476 – 1506, r. 1494-1506), and under his successor, King Jungjong (1488 – 1544, r.1506–1544) the site was turned into government offices. The pagoda and a memorial stele commemorating the foundation of Wongaksa alone survived. The site of the temple was later occupied by houses. During the Imjin War of the 1590s, the top portion of the pagoda was pulled down and lay on the ground at the foot of the pagoda until it was replaced by American military engineers in 1947. Foreign visitors to Seoul in the late 19th century often went to admire the beautiful pagoda but it was almost inaccessible, hidden in the courtyard of a small house, and in 1897 John McLeavy Brown, the Irish financial advisor to King Gojong, was authorized by the king to turn the area into Seoul's first public park. He called it Pagoda Park, the name it had at the time of the 1919 March 1st Movement. Today the park is known as Tapgol (Pagoda) Park (탑골 공원) and the pagoda stands in a protective glass case. The Korean name literally means "ten storeyed stone pagoda of Wongaksa Temple site." The pagoda is considered by art historians to be one of the finest examples of Joseon dynasty pagoda art. The pagoda was designated as the second national treasure of Korea on December 12, 1962. From an inscription on the upper part of the pagoda it is known that the pagoda was built in 1467, the thirteenth year of King Sejo's reign. It is one of the few pagodas made from marble in Korea. Typical Korean pagodas are made from granite, a material abundant on the peninsula. The pedestal supporting the pagoda is three-tiered, and its shape seen from the top looks like a Chinese character, 亞. The first three storeys of the pagoda follow the shape of the base and the next seven storeys are shaped in form of squares. Dragons, lions, lotus flowers, phoenixes, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and the Four Heavenly Kings carved on each storey of the pagoda. The pagoda, while made of stone, is carved to look as if it was made from wood. The pagoda has brackets, pillars, and curved roof shapes that imitate a wooden pagoda design. The pagoda was clearly modelled on the beautiful Gyeongcheonsa Pagoda, which was made during the Goryeo Era. Originally erected in 1348 at Gyeongcheon-sa temple on Mt. Busosan in Gwangdeok-myeon, Gaepung-gun, Gyeonggi-do (near Gaesong, now in North Korea), it was taken to Japan in 1907, returned to Korea in 1918, and is now housed at the National Museum of Korea. The first detailed description of the pagoda in English, together with a translation of the inscription on the stele, was published in 1915 by the scholarly missionary James Scarth Gale in the Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch's Transactions Vol. VI, part II:1-22 “The Pagoda of Seoul.”

Bosingak is a large bell pavilion on Jongno in Seoul, South Korea. The bell in Bosingak gives Jongno its name, which literally means "bell street". It was originally constructed in 1396 but destroyed many times by both war and fire. It was designated Bosingak by Emperor Gojong in 1895. In the Joseon Dynasty, this bell was at the center of the castle town. The bell was struck to announce the opening and closing of the four gates around Seoul. At 4 am and 10 pm the bell was struck 33 times and gates were opened and closed. It was used as a fire alarm as well. In modern times, the bell is rung only at midnight on New Year's Eve. Because of the massive number of people who attend this ceremony, Metro trains on Line 1 of the Seoul Subway do not stop at Jonggak Station on New Year's Eve.

Jongno Tower (Hangeul: 종로 타워) is a 33-story office building in Jongno, Seoul. Its top floor is equipped with a restaurant and bar which is famous for its view of Jongno and other areas of Seoul. The tower is located near Jonggak Station of Seoul Subway Line 1. The 23rd to 30th floors are hollow. The hangeul lettering is 삼성증권 (Samsung Securities), the owner of the building. It was designed by Rafael Viñoly Architects, and built in 1999. Its height is 132 meters.

Jonggak Station is a station on the Line 1 of the Seoul Subway in South Korea. It is located on Jongno, central Seoul and comprises a large underground arcade. The second-largest book shop in South Korea, the Bandi & Luni's lying under the Jongno Tower, which in turn is just above this station, is directly accessible from the station. On every New Year's Day, the bell ceremony (Jeyaeui Jong Tajongsik) is held at Boshingak, the nearby bell pavilion. (The name of the station comes from this pavilion, jong meaning bell and gak pavilion.) At those times the area is so crowded with tens of thousands of Seoulites that trains do not stop at Jonggak as to avoid any accidents.

Insa-dong is a dong, or neighborhood in the Jongno-gu district of Seoul. The main street is Insadong-gil, which is connected to a multitude of alleys that lead deeper into the district, with modern galleries and tea shops. Historically, it was the largest market for antiques and artwork in Korea.Stretching across 12.7 hectares (or 31.4 acres), the district is bordered by Gwanhun-dong to the north, Nagwon-dong to the east, and Jongno 2-ga and Jeokseon-dong to the south, and Gongpyeong-dong to the west.

Chunnyundongando (Korean: 천년동안도; lit. Island of a thousand years) is a jazz club in Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea. It was founded in 1996 by Lim Won-bin (임원빈), originally in the Daehangno area. It then moved to Ikseon-dong, then to Nakwon-dong in 2017. The club reportedly holds concerts every day, 365 days a year. Early in the restaurant's history, it was forced to close, due to a law that restricted more than two people performing in a restaurant. Lim filed a lawsuit that eventually ruled in his favor; the law was deemed unconstitutional and was overturned. The business moved from Daehangno because of the area's high rent.

Jongno 3(sam)-ga Station is an underground station on lines 1, 3 and 5 of the Seoul Subway in South Korea. In December 2010 the station is recorded as having the fifth highest WiFi data consumption of all the Seoul Metropolitan Subway stations, following Express Bus Terminal Station, Sadang Station, Dongdaemun Station and Jamsil Station.

Hadongkwan (Korean: 하동관; Hanja: 河東館; RR: Hadonggwan) is a historic Korean restaurant in Myeong-dong, Jung District, Seoul, South Korea. The restaurant was founded in 1939, and specializes in the ox bone soup dish gomtang. It is currently listed on the Michelin Guide as a Bib Gourmand restaurant. It is reportedly only open for lunch time, and closes whenever it runs out of food. The restaurant was founded by Ryu Chang-hui (류창희), the daughter of a wealthy family in Seoul. She handed the restaurant off to her friend's daughter-in-law, who in turn passed the restaurant onto Kim Hui-yeong (김희영) in 1968. Kim was reportedly preparing to hand the restaurant onto her daughter by 2008. The restaurant was originally located in Sunhwa-dong, but moved to Myeong-dong in June 2007. The restaurant reportedly frequently has famous customers. It was reportedly favored by South Korean leader Park Chung Hee and his wife Yuk Young-soo. According to the restaurant's owner, every South Korean president except for Roh Moo-hyun and Lee Myung-bak dined at the restaurant. The restaurant owners reportedly intentionally avoid opening more locations or franchising, in order to avoid diluting the taste or service. The restaurant was recognized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government as an "Oraegage", or a "Seoul Historical Store". The designation recognizes long-running businesses and provides resources to keep them in operation.

Youngnak (YN) Presbyterian Church was founded in Seoul on 2 December 1945 by 1992 Templeton Prize recipient, Kyung-Chik Han. Inaugurated by twenty-seven refugees from Soviet-occupied Korea, Youngnak steadily increased in membership as more refugees sought religious freedom below the 38th parallel.On 24 March 1949, ground was broken for a new facility to replace the building and tent that had become too small for the growing congregation. By the time the new church building was completed in May 1950, membership had increased to over 4,000. By 1992, when Rev. Han was awarded the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, membership had grown to 60,000 (making it, at that time, the largest Presbyterian congregation in the world), excluding 500 sister churches planted by members of the original congregation.In 1998, under the auspices of Rev. Han, who at the time was a Pastor Emeritus, Youngnak gained an English language ministry, International Worship in English, which was founded by an American missionary to Korea, Bill Majors. For his efforts, Majors was made an Honorary Citizen of Seoul in 2005.