Ui-dong: April 19th Cemetery, Bonghwanggak & Valley Eats

Seoul’s history of protest usually gets told in the middle of town: Gwanghwamun, City Hall, the old university campuses. The people who died in the April 1960 student revolution, though, are buried far to the north, at the foot of Bukhansan, in a neighborhood most visitors only see from a hiking trail. Two light-rail stops further up the valley stands the small lodge where the leaders of the 1919 independence movement planned their declaration.

Ui-dong and the upper edge of Suyu-dong in Gangbuk-gu put both stories in one walk, and then send you downhill to eat the way Seoul hikers have always eaten: yukgaejang (spicy beef soup) at 6:30 in the morning, handmade dumplings in a 40-year-old shop, and a whole boiled chicken shared beside a mountain stream.

Why come all the way to Ui-dong?

Because it is one of the few places in Seoul where two turning points of modern Korean history sit a short walk apart, with a national park behind them. You can stand at the graves of the 1960 student protesters in the morning and at the lodge where the 1919 independence leaders met before lunch, and never leave the foot of Bukhansan.

The name is old and rural. According to Seoul city, 우이 (Ui, 牛耳) means “ox ear”, after 우이암 (Uiam), a rock on the Dobongsan side that looks like the ear of an ox. The pure-Korean version, sogwi, still shows up in restaurant names in the valley. Until recently the neighborhood was simply “Suyu-ri” to most Seoulites: the end of the bus line, where you came to hike, eat duck and go home.

The light rail changed that. Since the line opened in 2017, a café street has grown up along 4.19-ro below the cemetery, and the old valley restaurants have been joined by streamside cafés. The food is still mostly hiker food, and that is the reason to come hungry.

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Is the April 19th National Cemetery free?

Yes, it is free, and the grounds are open from early morning year-round. Only the indoor memorial hall keeps shorter hours and closes on Mondays. From 4.19 Democracy Cemetery Station Exit 2 it is about an 8-minute walk, according to Seoul city.

The cemetery holds 224 people who died in the 4·19혁명 (April 19 Revolution) of 1960. That spring, protests against a rigged presidential election spread from students to the whole country and forced President Syngman Rhee from office. According to a 2026 Seoul Shinmun report, Seoul had first planned the memorial for Namsan. After the May 1961 military coup, it was moved here to Suyu-ri instead.

The site is larger and quieter than most visitors expect. A wide ceremonial path leads to the memorial tower, with the graves in rows on the slope behind it and Bukhansan’s granite peaks above. The memorial hall tells the story of the revolution indoors, and is worth the half hour if you visit between Tuesday and Sunday. Each year on 19 April the national ceremony is held here, and the surrounding streets fill with a culture festival.

🕰️ April 19th National Democracy Cemetery: hours and practical details

Item	Details
Grounds	06:00–18:00 (Mar–Oct), 07:00–17:00 (Nov–Feb), open every day
Memorial hall	09:30–17:30 summer, 09:30–16:30 winter; closed Mondays (next day if Monday is a holiday)
Admission	Free
Address	17 4.19-ro 8-gil, Gangbuk-gu (tel. 02-996-0419)
Nearest station	4.19 Democracy Cemetery Station (Ui-Sinseol LRT) Exit 2, about 8 min

The cemetery is not the only burial ground on these slopes. Higher up are the scattered graves of independence activists and founding-era figures, linked by a 1.3 km heritage path called 초대길 (Chodae-gil). According to Seoul Shinmun, it passes the tombs of the first vice president Yi Si-yeong and the patriot Yi Jun, and the district runs guided walks at 10:00 and 14:00. These graves are separate from the April 19th cemetery; do not expect to find them inside it.

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Where was the March 1st Movement planned?

At Bonghwanggak, a modest wooden building at the top of Ui-dong, built in 1912 by Son Byeong-hui, the third leader of the Cheondogyo religion. According to Seoul city, Son bought the land in 1911 and built the lodge to train Cheondogyo leaders to recover the country’s lost sovereignty. The March 1st Movement of 1919 was conceived here.

천도교 (Cheondogyo, “Religion of the Heavenly Way”) grew out of the 19th-century Donghak movement and was one of the strongest organizations in colonial Korea. Of the 33 national representatives who signed the 1919 Declaration of Independence, 15 were Cheondogyo members, according to Seoul city. Seoul city also records 483 people completing 49-day training courses at Bonghwanggak over seven sessions. The name board was written by Oh Se-chang, a calligrapher and one of the 33 signatories.

Today Bonghwanggak is a protected heritage building. It is small, and visiting it is undramatic: a tiled hall in a quiet compound, a second building that was originally the Cheondogyo headquarters in Jongno (built 1921 and moved here in 1969), and a path that climbs about 50 meters behind it to Son Byeong-hui’s tomb. Entry is free and the compound is open every day.

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Can you still eat by the stream in Ui-dong valley?

You can still eat in the valley, but no longer on platforms built over the water. The restaurants along Samyang-ro 173-gil and 181-gil serve their food on their own land, in gardens, pavilions and terraces beside the stream. Seating on the stream itself is illegal, and it is being removed.

The rules have tightened in stages. In July 2021, Seoul city began a month-long enforcement campaign against illegal tents, platforms and water-play structures in nine valleys, naming Ui-dong and Samcheonsa as priorities because of the number of restaurants there. In April 2026, Herald Business reported that Gangbuk-gu had launched a district-wide crackdown on illegal structures in streams and valleys, running through September 2026. An August 2026 report on Daum described most platforms being taken down in late July, but some tables and umbrellas reappearing at weekends, along with “one menu per person” signs that effectively keep non-customers away from the water.

What this means for you: the 산장 (sanjang, “mountain lodge”) restaurants are still open and still serve the same menu of baeksuk (whole chicken or duck boiled with herbs), acorn jelly and pancakes. Book ahead or arrive early at weekends. If what you really want is a swim, the rules are in our guide to the Seoul valleys locals love.

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Food from the cemetery to the trailhead

Eat in two clusters: around 4·19-ro below the cemetery for soup, dumplings and Chinese food, and up the valley from Bukhansan Ui Station for tofu and lodge-style baeksuk. Coffee is spread between the café street on 4·19-ro and the streamside cafés in the valley.

Saemteo Maru (샘터마루): A yukgaejang specialist on the lane up toward the cemetery, with a stream running past the building. A plain bowl is ₩9,000 (₩11,000 large). The perilla-and-tripe version is ₩12,000, and boiled beef shank is ₩25,000 if there are several of you. It opens at 06:30 for hikers and closes at 20:00 (last order 19:00). It closes the day before and the day of Seollal and Chuseok, and for a summer break that is posted on Naver. Visitors usually park at the cemetery car park. 4.19 Democracy Cemetery Station Exit 2.

📍 Open in Naver Map

Yewa Sonmandu (예와손만두): Recent visitors call it a 44-year-old shop, and the food tastes like it: large, rough-edged handmade dumplings in a mild broth that you season yourself. Dumpling soup is ₩9,500, seven dumplings ₩9,500, beef-bone kalguksu (knife-cut noodles) ₩9,000, and a small dumpling hotpot ₩24,000. Open 11:00–19:30, closed Sundays. 4.19 Democracy Cemetery Station Exit 2.

📍 Open in Naver Map

Urikong Sundubu (우리콩순두부): Just below the trailhead, this is where hikers come down for tofu. Sundubu (soft tofu stew), kongguksu (cold soy-milk noodles), bean-curd-dreg stew and cheonggukjang (fermented soybean stew) are all ₩11,000. A plate of fresh tofu is ₩15,000, and the mung-bean pancake ₩15,000–18,000. Open daily 09:30–19:00 (last order 18:30). Esquire Korea notes that it makes a limited amount each day, so late arrivals may miss some dishes. Bukhansan Ui Station Exit 2.

📍 Open in Naver Map

Seonun Sanjang (선운산장): The oldest name in the valley, dated to 1956 in local food roundups. You sit in a garden by the stream and order one big dish for the table. A baeksuk set with neungi mushrooms is ₩100,000 and serves a group. Solo diners and pairs can order the sizzling spicy-pork set (₩15,000) or mountain-greens barley bibimbap (₩15,000). Acorn jelly and seafood pancake are ₩20,000 each. Open weekdays 10:00–18:00 and weekends 09:00–20:00. It closes early on weekdays, so go for lunch. Bukhansan Ui Station Exit 2, uphill.

📍 Open in Naver Map

🍜 More places on both sides of the LRT (prices from 2025–26 visits; check hours before you go)

Place	What to order	Price guide	Hours / closed	Nearest station	Map
Miseong Banjeom	Jajangmyeon, jjamppong, aged-pork tangsuyuk	Jajang ₩10,000, jjamppong ₩13,000	11:30–21:00, break 15:00–17:00, no fixed holiday	4.19 Democracy Cemetery Exit 2	📍 Naver Map
Sogwigol Baegun Sanjang	Neungi duck baeksuk, spicy braised chicken	Duck ₩90,000, chicken ₩75,000	09:30–21:00 daily	Bukhansan Ui Exit 2, uphill	📍 Naver Map
Hyesimjeong	Baeksuk set for groups	Set for 3–4 ₩120,000	10:00–21:00 daily	Bukhansan Ui Exit 2, uphill	📍 Naver Map
Gaenari Sanjang	Herbal duck baeksuk, aged-kimchi chicken stew	₩85,000 per dish	11:00–22:00	Bukhansan Ui Exit 2, uphill	📍 Naver Map
Mirim Sanjang	Chicken baeksuk, whelk noodles	Check on Naver	Check on Naver	Bukhansan Ui Exit 2, uphill	📍 Naver Map
Pungcheon Jangeo Maeul	Grilled eel, pork galbi, yeolmu noodles	Check on Naver	Check on Naver	Bukhansan Ui	📍 Naver Map
Mongbeuru	Specialty coffee, house “Mong latte”	Americano ₩5,500, latte ₩6,700	11:00–23:00 daily	4.19 Democracy Cemetery, uphill walk	📍 Naver Map
The Soop Academy House	Bakery café with full-window mountain views	Iced latte ₩6,500, breads up to ₩7,000	10:00–22:00 daily	4.19 Democracy Cemetery, uphill walk	📍 Naver Map
Cafe Sanarae	Fig dacquoise, black-sesame cream latte	Iced americano ₩6,000	Mon–Fri 10:30–22:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–23:00	Bukhansan Ui	📍 Naver Map
Okryuheon Relax	Hanok café and brunch with a stream terrace	Americano ₩6,500	11:00–21:30 daily	Bukhansan Ui, uphill	📍 Naver Map

A few of these deserve a word. Miseong Banjeom (미성반점) is a neat Chinese restaurant whose owner-chef, according to several 2026 visitor reviews, used to cook at the presidential office. The house “presidential” restorative jjamppong is ₩22,000. Sogwigol Baegun Sanjang (소귀골백운산장) carries the “ox ear” in its name and has a small pool and trampoline for children. Seoul city lists it among the valley’s long-running restaurants. Some valley lodges, including Gaenari Sanjang and Sogwigol, pick guests up from the station; ask when you book.

The Soop Academy House (더숲 아카데미하우스) has a story of its own. Bloggers explain that it occupies the former 아카데미하우스 (Academy House), the Christian Academy center founded in 1966 by Rev. Kang Won-yong, which in the 1960s and 70s hosted dialogue meetings for democracy activists. Today it is a large bakery café and stay. Drinks carry a view premium, but the windows face straight onto the mountain.

If you are coming down the Dobongsan side instead, the Banghak area is right next door; see our Banghak local eats and cafés guide.

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Half-day route: cemetery to trailhead

Start early and walk uphill all morning, finishing with lunch in the valley. Allow about five hours. Bring cash for small shops just in case, though most take cards.

• 08:30, 4.19 Democracy Cemetery Station Exit 2: yukgaejang breakfast at Saemteo Maru.
• 09:30, April 19th National Democracy Cemetery: about an hour for the tower, the graves and the memorial hall (open from 09:30; closed Mondays).
• 10:45, coffee on the 4·19 café street: Mongbeuru for the ginkgo trees, or The Soop Academy House for the view. Add the Chodae-gil heritage path if you have time.
• 12:00, ride the LRT two stops to Bukhansan Ui Station and walk the 550 m themed street to Bonghwanggak and Son Byeong-hui's tomb (about 30 minutes there).
• 13:00, lunch: tofu at Urikong Sundubu, or a shared baeksuk at Seonun Sanjang or Sogwigol Baegun Sanjang.
• 14:30, streamside coffee at Cafe Sanarae or Okryuheon Relax. If you have the legs, carry on up one of the Bukhansan trails; our [guide to the mountains Seoul locals hike](/en/guides/seoul-mountains-locals-hike/) covers the routes.

On the way back, get off at Solbat Park Station for a 15-minute stroll among the neighborhood’s century-old pines before heading into the city.