Gunsan Modern Quarter

문화재청 · KOGL Type 1

A port city with its banks, rice warehouses and a Japanese temple intact — a rarity in Korea.

Gunsan was the port the Japanese used to ship the Honam plain's rice home, and as a result the city retains more colonial architecture than anywhere else in Korea. There is the stone Bank of Chosen, the red-brick customs house, the two-storey wooden villa of a rice merchant, and — rarest of all — Dongguksa, the only intact Japanese-style temple left on Korean soil. Keeping these buildings was fiercely contested, and Gunsan's answer was to turn them into museums that state the exploitation plainly rather than dress it up. The city is also home to Lee Sung Dang, Korea's oldest bakery.

Visitor information

When is the best time to visit Gunsan Modern Quarter?

April–June and September–November

How much does it cost to visit Gunsan Modern Quarter?

3,000 KRW for the combined museum ticket; 2,000 KRW for the Modern History Museum alone

How long do you need at Gunsan Modern Quarter?

Half a day

What are the opening hours of Gunsan Modern Quarter?

09:00–18:00, museums closed Mondays

Did you know

Gunsan port opened in 1899 and became the main rice export port to Japan.
Dongguksa is the only fully intact Japanese-style temple remaining in Korea.
The old Bank of Chosen and customs house are now modern history museums.
Lee Sung Dang bakery, opened in 1945, is Korea's oldest.

Travel tips

Buy the combined museum ticket; it is cheaper than paying separately.
The queue at Lee Sung Dang is long at weekends — go before 10am.
Ferries run from Gunsan to the Seonyudo islands; the scenery is superb.

Source: https://www.trip.com/travel-guide/attraction/gunsan/gunsan-modern-history-museum-62044614/

Updated: 2026-08-04