The History Center of the Japanese Colonial Period in Gunsan is dedicated to human rights, peace, and reconciliation. It serves as a place of remembrance, reflecting on the exploitation experienced under Japanese imperial rule in order to help shape a better future. The museum emphasizes interaction among people, artifacts, and historical spaces, as well as active engagement with visitors. Through materials and records spanning from the opening of Gunsan Port to liberation, it seeks to foster dialogue and understanding. By remembering the suffering caused by forced exploitation and working toward healing, the museum aims to transform this painful history into enduring values of human rights and peace through ongoing research, exhibitions, and education.
Dongguksa Temple was built by Japanese monk Seoneungbulgwan in 1909. The temple was run by Japanese monks for 36 years during the Japanese occupation, reverting to Korean jurisdiction when Korea was liberated in 1945. The historical temple is the only surviving Japanese-style temple in the nation.
The temple is characterized by its two main buildings, Daeungjeon Hall and Yosachae, which are connected by a corridor, and the temple’s relative lack of decoration, which stands as a sharp contrast to the brilliantly-colored Korean temples. Dongguksa Temple was officially designated as a cultural heritage in July 2003 and is now a branch temple of Seonunsa Temple in Gochang, the 24th district of the Korean Buddhist Jogye Order.
Dongguksa (東國寺) was founded in 1909 by the Japanese monk Seoneungbulgwan, and operated by Japanese monks during the 36 years of the Japanese colonial period. It bears the painful history of returning to Korea on August 15, 1945. It has existed through the Korean Empire and the Japanese colonial era to the present. It is the only remaining Japanese-style temple in Korea, characterized by the Daeungjeon and monks' quarters connected by an indoor corridor. Unlike Korean temples with ornate dancheong, Dongguksa features undecorated eaves and many windows on the Daeungjeon exterior, showing typical Japanese temple traits. A branch temple of Seonunsa in Gochang in the Jogye Order's 24th district, Dongguksa's Daeungjeon was designated a National Registered Cultural Heritage site in July 2003. Its original name was Geumgang Seonsa, founded in 1909 by the Japanese monk Naejeonbulgwan, establishing a proselytizing site in Gunsan for the Jodong sect. Japanese Buddhism entered Korea in 1877 following the opening of Busan, initially by the Jodojin sect Daegok faction establishing sites from 1904, followed by the Ilyeon sect. The Japanese government's intent was to assimilate Korea, not just propagate Buddhism. The Japanese Government-General issued the Temple Ordinance on June 3, 1911, promoting Japanese Buddhism throughout Korea by building branch temples and missions. Before Geumgang Seonsa's founding, Gunsan had Bonwonsa, Gunsansa, and Anguksa temples. Naejeonbulgwan, 77 years old in 1909, opened the proselytizing site in a house in Iljotong, Gunsan, then moved it in July 1913 to the current location and constructed today's Dongguksa.
This is where the Buyun (mayor) of Gunsan lived, and there was a saying that to sit on the throne of wealth at the time, one had to become the Gunsan Buyun, making the position highly coveted. Located in Wolmyeong-dong, Gunsan-si, it is a modern architectural building from the 1930s of moderate size with two floors above ground, a site area of 1,023㎡, and a building area of 200.3㎡, designed as a Japanese-style kominka house for private residential use. The garden features stone lanterns and shows the form of a Japanese-style garden. Inside, wooden stairs connect to the second-floor rooms, which are equipped with oshiire (closets) and tokonoma (alcoves). During the Japanese colonial period, it served as the Buyun official residence, and after liberation, it was used as the mayor's residence until the early 1990s. Until the 1970s and 1980s, many government official residences built during the Japanese occupation remained in Gunsan, including the city hall, county hall, court, police station, prison, tax office, and elementary schools. The residence was left unused and abandoned for a long time before being renovated in 1996. It was then used as a regular restaurant for a while but has been abandoned since the restaurant relocated around late 2014.
Postbox Street in Gunsan-si was created through a resident-participation contest in the 2016 urban regeneration project, where a community called Dorandoran, consisting of residents around the post office, repaired and painted discarded postboxes and installed them in front of stores. The residents did not stop there; in 2017, they formed the Gunsan Postbox Street Landscape Agreement Council and signed a landscape agreement. Through voluntary participation and efforts, they held the first Handwritten Letter Festival in 2018, revitalizing the once ordinary street that even gained the road name Postbox Street. It has become a model case of neighborhood revitalization. Postbox Street features character postboxes, unique landscape lighting, art walls, and other sculptures, providing enjoyable sights for visitors and tourists. Beginning with the small idea of repurposing abandoned postboxes, it developed into a tourist attraction village hosting the handwritten letter festival.
Sinheung-dong began to form as a residential area when Japanese people started building houses in the area around the 1930s and 1940s. During the Korean War, refugees settled in areas such as Haemang-dong and Sinheung-dong, leading to the establishment of the village. At that time, houses were built closely together on wooden planks on top of rocks, and as time passed, the neighborhood became filled with thatched roofs. It was named Mallaengyi Village, derived from the Jeolla dialect meaning "the hillside."
Currently, the area is experiencing urban decline due to population outflow, but in 2014, as part of a project to promote representative tourist attractions in Jeonbuk-do, nine artist residences and eight exhibition halls were established, creating a village where over 50 households and seven teams of artists live together harmoniously. Visitors can find murals, photo zones, sound spaces, and other notable attractions throughout the village. A walk up to Wolmyeongsan Mountain offers panoramic views of where the Geumgang River meets the West Sea. The viewpoint is also well known for its beautiful sunsets and nighttime scenery.
