Seoul’s Historic Walks in Sketches

I’m dying to travel. I would love to visit Europe, Asia, you name it. But with the limited budget of a Millennial, I have little to no chance of actually doing it. So while I lack the ability to physically visit Seoul, South Korea, (which I would love), Janghee Lee’s thoughtful, lyrical, and gently jovial illustrated walk through some of Seoul’s most notable architecture is a welcome stand-in. And Lee’s annotated sketches are a hell of a lot more interesting, informative, and lovingly rendered than your friend’s travel Instagram. Lee gives you both a vivid visual and textual history of Seoul through its architecture, and it’s fascinating, particularly if your history classes were scant on the details of Korean history. And, informative as it is, Seoul’s Historic Walks in Sketches is defined by the voice of Lee, whose prose (excellently translated by David Carruth) evokes the voice of a quiet, thoughtful artist–but one with a genial and wry sense of humor. For example, one sketch of a woman aiming her cell phone camera at a carved stone haetae is captioned, “The somaetdol, or sleeve stone, got its name from the formal attire worn in ancient times. The sleeves of old garments were so long they were said to brush against the stone. The haetae at Gyeongbokgung Palace is smiling awkwardly at a Russian woman.”

For a tour of Seoul’s architecture curated by a smart, contemplative, cheeky artist friend, go to Seoul’s Historic Walks in Sketches and let Janghee Lee take you on a tour.