![Village that even police officers couldn't freely enter, the secret of Banchon - Joseon's version of a 'ghetto' [Books&] - Seoul Economic Daily Culture News from South Korea](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwimg.sedaily.com%2Fnews%2Fcms%2F2026%2F02%2F13%2Fnews-p.v1.20260211.2e8d87cbc61a49008773c7c84cb9e26a_P1.jpg&w=3840&q=75 "Scholar Uncovers Secrets of Joseon's 'Ghettos' Where Police Feared to Tread")
A scholar known for introducing Joseon Dynasty life through classical Chinese texts has turned attention to the history and culture of "banchon," the villages surrounding Seonggyungwan, the royal Confucian academy.
Today's Daehak-ro district in Seoul is a mecca for performing arts, but during the Joseon era, it was a banchon settlement.
The book reveals fascinating stories about these "Korean-style ghettos"—extraterritorial zones where rituals and commerce, scholars and slaves coexisted under their own unique order. Even when criminals fled into these villages, constables and police officers could not freely pursue them.
The book is priced at 22,000 won.
■ "Joseon's Daehak-ro" by Ahn Dae-hoe, published by Munhakdongne