Amid the dozens of private art galleries on Insadong street you will find tiny craft shops bursting with creativity (check out the four-storey Ssamzie complex) - look for pale green celadon vases, pen-and-ink drawings and calligraphy, and world-class stitching at Kukjae Embroidery.
On the other you have truly ambitious and truly risky attempts to tell complex, fascinating stories about people and events that make the TV of the past look shabby and pale in comparison.
From a distance the pale scree slopes on the mountain-side look like barren fields of snow, but get up close and you'll be amazed by the diversity of wildlife that thrives on this reserve.