Let's see what he's got for us in this delightful Soje-dong Tour!
- Would you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
"I'm Park Jinseok, an N-Jobler who travels the regions with people. I like to walk and feel the places where people live rather than famous tourist spots. We are on a journey to get to know new people through stories of various travelers we meet."
"I have been working as a tourism venture company, consulting communities, preparing to start a business in the region as a PD, giving lectures at universities, and conducting promotional marketing activities with businesses I had previously engaged in. In the neighborhood where I was born, grew up, and lived, and where I will continue to live, I continue to guide the region and connect the space to travelers who visit the region. I was born in a Public Health Center in Dong-gu, Daejeon, and I live and live in Jayang-dong, Gayang-dong, and Soje-dong, which are within a 1km radius of Daejeon Station."
- Why Soje-dong Tour?
"Soje-dong is a neighborhood located close to Daejeon Station. It is a place that can show travelers visiting Daejeon a different neighborhood scenery. Through the past, present, and future changes, travelers from other regions can quickly feel the distinct sensibility of neighborhoods, alleys, and newly changed spaces. where it is. Nevertheless, as a neighborhood where people have lived, lived, and will continue to live, it is not a neighborhood where people who visit the region simply visit and leave, but visit twice or three times to inform the value of the region and to revitalize the region’s economy to provide some help to the residents who are still living today. Soje-dong tour started with the meaning of creating a proper local travel culture. This is a tour that gives you an unusual feeling in your daily life by walking on foot, including old alleys and houses that you can't usually see easily and restaurants with trendy sensibility."
"In the past, as a new railway was built by Japan and Daejeon Station was built, development as a city began. As a result of the station, Soje-dong was born as a neighborhood where many railway engineers lived. In the 1920s, Soje Lake was filled and the house where Japanese railroad engineers lived on it was built with the architectural characteristics of a one-roof, two-family house, and it took shape as a village and a town."
"Until the 2000s, it was seen as a slum behind Daejeon Station, and it was a difficult neighborhood for people to live in due to inconvenient traffic. After the KTX was opened, a plaza began to appear in Soje-dong, which was behind Daejeon Station, and as development projects in the station area, such as apartment housing construction and shopping center construction centered on Daejeon Station, were promoted, interest in Soje-dong began to rise. However, the old railroad buildings in the Soje-dong neighborhood started to be sold as their value increased as real estate by people from other regions, and the people who lived there began to leave. In the Soje-dong Railway Official Village, which was emptied as people left, the neighborhood was redefined by local cultural planners."
"Beginning in 2019, cafes and restaurants began to appear one by one in the neighborhood, where there were only small supermarkets and Yongwons for commercial space. It was created so that you can see a different townscape while walking down the street."
- What do you want to convey in Soje-dong?
"By conveying the stories of the alleys, empty houses, and stories of people living in Soje-dong, I want to deliver stories to travelers to think about the region and communicate sympathetically with participants so that they can visit twice and three times, not once. In accordance with the needs of travelers, I want to guide young travelers through the charms of each space, take pictures, and deliver the travel stories of peaceful vibes and unique experiences in Soje-dong. I want to tell a branding story about the local space in Soje-dong and a story through sharing insights."
***TOUR ROUTE
- Meeting place: Soje Here (여기소제) (Orientation- use of the bathroom, watching the video of Soje-dong village, space photo guide, schedule guide, etc.)
- Walking: Gray Club (그레이구락부) → Chiang Mai Bangkok Thai Restaurant (치앙마이-방콕) → Oasis → Text Calorie (텍스트칼로리) → Traditional Naraegwan (전통나래관) → Sunshine (볕)→ TAEJON BURGER (대전버거) → Cheungcheungcheung Cafe (층층층) → Midori Color (미도리컬러) → Pungnyuga (풍뉴가) → Oncheonjib (온천집) → Gwansa No.16 (관사16호) → Gaze Bridge (가제교 다리) → Yanggaenggaenggaeng Cafe (양갱갱갱) → Limchun Chinese Restaurant (림춘) → Soje Market (소제마켓) → Movie Alley (영화촬영골목) → Soje Dongnam Telephone Pole (소제동나무전신주) → SojeCreating Community (소제창착촌) → Cheongyang Super (청양수퍼) → Soje Studio Cafe (소제화실)
For more information on Jindong Tour Lab Agency: jdtourlab.com
Soje-dong (소제동)
