Ojukheon House 오죽헌
Gangneung · Gyeongpo & Chodang · Sights
This is the childhood home of Yi I, better known as Yulgok, one of Korea's most respected Confucian scholars, and of his mother Shin Saimdang, an artist whose portrait appears on the 50,000 won note. The name refers to the black bamboo that grows in the yard. You walk through low-roofed wooden rooms, a quiet garden and a small museum, taking about an hour.
Look for the venerable crape myrtle in the courtyard, which is said to be around six hundred years old. It is an easy introduction to Joseon-era family life. Ticket prices and opening times are revised from time to time, so confirm them before you set out.
From Gangneung Station (강릉역) it is about a 10-minute taxi ride; local buses also stop nearby. A parking lot sits beside the entrance.
Show this Korean name to your taxi driver or match it to signs: 오죽헌
- Best time to visit
- Weekday mornings are calm, and early summer when the crape myrtle blooms is especially pleasant.
- Pair it with
- Seongyojang Estate is a short drive away, and Chamsori Gramophone & Edison Science Museum is a good indoor stop afterward.
- Great for
- Parents
- Local tip
- Entry is inexpensive. This is the birthplace of the scholar Yulgok and his mother, the artist Shin Saimdang, who appear on Korean banknotes; check on site for English leaflets.