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Shoes / Motorcycle Alley - Where Dreams in Textile Business Came True

Old Site of Samsung Sanghwoi

In 1938, the Late Mr. Lee Byung Cheol founded Samsung Sanghwoi, which has grown up into what is Samsung Conglomerate today. After this, he continued expanding his business by founding Jaeil Jaedang, Jaeil Textile and acquired Angook Fire Insurance, Dongbu Life Insurance to make an industrial giant, Samsung empire. A museum was built in memory of this business adventure in 2000 but was soon closed. The district office of Jung-gu these says is trying hard to recover the old Samsung Sanghwoi to make it a tourist destination.

Shoes Alley (Maljeon Alley, Thread Alley)

The alley starts from Dongsan Police Dispatch and leads up to Dalsung Park via Café Bonjeon. There used to stand big markets during the days of Chosun dynasty (which is now Seomun Market), and the name of Maljoen (means a market with horses) originated as many engaged in businesses with their horses tied there. In 1903, a grand performance for the King , Gojong,was held to celebrate 40th anniversary of his inauguration. After 1965, as the textile industry of the city expanded, many related businesses, such as yarn storage houses, weaving factories, thread dealers came to open businesses in this alley. Now most of the alley is occupied by retail / wholesale shoe dealers.

Tools Street, Ingyo-dong

In 1947, when Korean did not have decent manufacturers of tools, some merchant began to sell tools they got from the US military posts at Ingyodong Alley (called the “blue bridge” at that time). Later in 1950s many tool shops opened in the area to make it a total of 23 shops. Now the area, combined with the Tools Street of Bukseong-ro, is called Daegu Industrial Tools Alley.

Old Residence of Lee Gun Hee (former president of Sam sung Group)

Located about 200m off the old site of Samsung Sanghwoi. The former president of Samsung, Lee Gun Hee used to live there.

Seosung-Ro Church Education Center

According to the testimony of Mr. Lee Myung Jo, a presbyter of Seosung-Ro Church, the building was “a solid 3 stories building without any cracks on the surfaces, built during the Japanese occupation next to the site of old Gukmin Bank without using any still re-bars.” The main house of service has been rebuilt after bringing down the previous one, but the education center is still as it was built in those days. The window frames reflect Japanese styles, while the tiles show German flavor.

Kim’s Clan Registers

Mr. Kim Hae Sik, founder of this business used to be a teacher for 39 years and worked at a shop run by the brother of one of his friends, making acrylic signboards. He started making clan register books by an accidental suggestion from others. In his business, he writes clan registers for the client’s family as well as calligraphy on the monuments and tombstones. He is known to write all of the clan books by traditional Korean writing brush for printing. When he carves onto the stones, he first attaches the characters with glue and then engrave them one by one. There used be about 10 people engaged in this business in the city, but he is the only one left. He receives orders from all over the country. He used to have an apprentice, who has quite for some time.

Dongyang Dyeing Factory, Ingyo-dong

The textile industry of Daegu, which used to be hand-made only, entered its industrialization phase since 1905. Mr. Choo In Ho, who produced hemp clothes with one weaving machine operating on pedals at Jimyo-dong, Dalsung-gun, founded Dongyang Dyeing Factory with total 20 of the same machines in 1915. His foundation was faster than the establishment of Chosun Textile by the Japanese businessmen later by 2 years, and leaves the implication that Daegu is the very birthplace of Korean textile industry. The dyeing factory later moved to Dalsung-dong and Bisan-dong, invigorating the related factories establishment around it.