Guryongpo Japanese Village: A Preserved Colonial Streetscape

Guryongpo Japanese Village (구룡포 일본인 가옥거리) is a 200-metre preserved street of early twentieth-century wooden buildings in the fishing port of Guryongpo, south of Pohang. The buildings follow the traditional Japanese merchant house (machiya) style: narrow two-storey wooden structures with latticed facades and interior courtyards. The street was home to Japanese fishing families and merchants who settled in Guryongpo after Japanese colonisation of Korea intensified in the 1910s, and it remained largely intact after their departure at liberation in 1945.

Guryongpo developed as a significant fishing port during the Japanese colonial period (1910–1945) when Japanese fishermen were encouraged to settle on Korea's coasts to exploit the rich East Sea fishing grounds. At its peak, the Japanese population of Guryongpo numbered several hundred families, and the street they built became the commercial heart of the port. After liberation the Japanese residents repatriated to Japan and Korean fishing families moved into the vacant buildings. The street survived subsequent development largely intact, and a restoration project completed in the 2010s cleaned the facades and added interpretive signage, turning it into a heritage walking trail.

Walking the street takes around 45 minutes and passes restored merchant houses, a small colonial-era school building, and a traditional Japanese garden. Several buildings have been converted into cafes, craft shops, and a historical exhibition hall documenting the colonial period with photographs and artefacts. The adjacent Guryongpo harbour is still an active fishing port and its morning fish auction is accessible to visitors from around 5 AM.

The street is most atmospheric in early morning before tour groups arrive. Maps with English and Korean descriptions are available from the small visitor centre at the street entrance. Guryongpo is 30 kilometres south of central Pohang and is served by local buses from Pohang Bus Terminal.