Photos of Korean Folk Village, Gyeonggi Province, Korea

Minsok village is a living museum near Suwon, south of Seoul in Gyeonggi-do (Gyeonggi Province). It displays traditional Korean life and culture elements, with many replicas of traditional houses that belonged to the different social classes (peasant, landowner, yangban) from various regions. It also displays traditional woodworking and metalworking techniques and has a traditional street market.

There is also an open-air theatre where performances are held: horsemanship, Korean wedding ceremonies, rope walking and traditional dances, like “Pungmul” or “Nongak”, a traditional drum dance comprising music, acrobatics and folk dance. These were traditionally performed in rice farming villages to ensure and celebrate good harvests. The dancers play small “sogo” drums and wear “sangmo” hats with a long ribbon, twirled around while performing acrobatic moves.

There is an amusement park for children, with rides and games like playing “Tuko”, a traditional game where they throw arrows into a pot. The Korean Folk Museum has displays and models of Korean village culture from the late Joseon period.