Paju City and Paju Korean Village organized the 2024 Tongildongsan Tour hosting 37 foreigners from 19 different countries and I was lucky enough to attend. Paju Korean Village is a Korean culture experience space situated inside the Gyeonggi Mirae Campus, formerly known as Paju English Village. They provide tours of Paju for foreigners to places like the DMZ, Dora Observatory, and the Heyri Art Valley amongst others as well as teaching Korean culture through activities like Korean classes, calligraphy classes, K-pop classes and cooking classes. We participated in three different festivals in Paju on the day we went. 

First, we attended the Bi-annual Paju Festa where we got to play traditional Korean games and games from other countries like Japan and America. The festival was filled with live music, parades, and children’s cultural performances. 

A stone's throw away is Heyri Art Valley, a community developed by approximately 380 painters, musicians, craftsmen, and publishers. Here we attended the PAN: Peace, Art, and Nature Festival where we experienced a variety of performances allowing us to make beautiful memories with all five senses. At the Heyri Art Village, you can stroll down the streets and enjoy the view, pop in and out of local galleries, and visit artist studios and exhibits. The area is riddled with cute cafes and coffee shops where you can relax, play a board game, or visit with artists alike.

Lastly, we were lucky to attend the Samdopum Festival, where we got to participate in mixing ginormous bibimbap with garden shovels. This was a fabulous way for the community to come together through friendship and food. Speaking of food, Paju is known for jangdan bean production. The name comes from a village in Paju that existed before the Korean War and was famous for growing this shiny yellow seed that we would call soybean. This heirloom soybean makes everything from soy sauce to soybean paste to tofu. If you make it to Paju try to stop at The Table restaurant for tofu soup.

There are two museums that you shouldn’t miss on your trip to Paju. First is the National Folk Museum of Korea. This recently opened museum has over 1 million artifacts across 15 areas. You can see artifacts such as Haeju jars, millstones, pottery, fishing gear, rice molds, coins, chests, and much more. The back half of the museum boasts folklife archives that preserve a wide array of records like photographs, videos, and recordings documenting the daily lives and folklore of Koreans. There are many interactive displays and visitors have access to a library with related books.

The best experience I had in Paju was visiting the HEI Museum. The museum’s immersive art installations blew me away with their beauty. The artists have created a 3D experience using digital video, mirrors, and music to create an interactive exhibit that stimulates not only your eyes and ears but your emotions too. The cutting-edge technology makes you feel like you’ve traveled to another dimension where you can walk on pink sand beaches and interact with giant panda bears. There are over 20 exhibits representing everything from time to nature. The realistic sea life exhibit was better than any aquarium with its life-like creatures and aquatic scenes. If you’re into that perfect Instagram reel, this is the place to film it as the museum is camera-friendly.

This only scratches the surface of what Paju has to offer so I hope that you will go explore and enjoy the sights and sounds of such an artistic historical city.

Paju Heyri Art Valley

Website: https://youtube.com/@heyriart?si=AY_7WyMVtJwxwADS

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Heyri Art Valley

경기 파주시 탄현면 헤이리마을길 70-21 헤이리 갈대광장

https://naver.me/xwmjMzXE

HEI Museum

Website: https://museumhei.com/

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MUSEUM HEI

경기 파주시 탄현면 평화로 885-43

https://naver.me/5VmjM9Co

Paju Korean Village

Website: http://pajuvillage.com/eng/

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Paju Korean Village

경기 파주시 탄현면 얼음실로 40 상업10동

https://naver.me/5eUKIuqo

National Folk Museum Of Korea

Website: https://www.nfm.go.kr/paju/

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National Folk Museum of Korea Paju

경기 파주시 탄현면 헤이리로 30 국립민속박물관 파주

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The Table Restaurant and Tofu Garden

Website: https://pajumaru.com/html/2_4.asp

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The Table

경기 파주시 탄현면 필승로 396 파주장단콩웰빙마루 4F

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About the Author

Alison Rock is a graduate of the University of Southern California. She lives in Korea with her husband and youngest son. She enjoys cooking, painting, and jewelry design. Alison has recently started a YouTube channel reviewing K-beauty products.

Follow her at: www.youtube.com/@AlisonRockUSA