#SeoulInThe1970s #70sPhotos #OldPhotos #OldSeoul #70s80sNostalgia

These are photographs capturing the hilly streets, market districts, and shantytown alleys of Seoul from 1970 to 1971. You will encounter the people who frequented the alleys of that era, ranging from A-frame carriers and hired seamstresses to junk dealers and truck drivers.

※ Notice (2026-09-07)

Two photographs, "Two People in Front of a Stall" and "Woman Beside a Stall," are reversed left and right. The text "Samlip Bread" on the box appears upside down.

This is the nature of the scans released by the North Carolina State Archives, the holding institution. Following our principle of not altering the originals provided by the institution, we have published them exactly as they are. The remaining 50 photographs are free of issues.

Original — flickr.com/photos/north-carolina-state-archives/50784021048

Original — flickr.com/photos/north-carolina-state-archives/50784781916

Thank you to the viewer who pointed this out.

※ Correction (2026-09-07)

0:20 "The temple has been revealed again" refers to "Bosingak." It is the Bosingak at Jongno Intersection.

It was written as "temple" in the original record, so we transcribed it exactly as it was. The U.S. military family who took the photo wrote it that way in their 1971 album, and the holding institution was disclosed exactly as it was. It is our fault for not filtering it out.

Thank you to the viewer who pointed this out.

0:00 1971 Getting a Ticket in the City Center
0:28 1970 Seoul Seen from Rooftops and Hills
1:05 1970 People in the Alleys
2:02 1970 A Day in the Shanty Yard
3:02 1970 Livelihood in the Alleys
4:02 1970 Streets of Porters
4:42 1970 Sewing Machines on the Road
5:22 1971 Repairing a Broken Telephone Line
5:41 1970~1971 ​​Delivery and Sedans
6:18 1970~1971 ​​Demolished Sites and New Jeeps
7:00 A Day in the Alley Market
8:00 People in the Market
9:23 Market Streets During Kimjang Season
10:24 Briquettes and Household Goods
11:06 The Site of the Kiln Village
11:49 Merchants in the Alleys
12:32 The Children's Alley
14:20 That Bus, That Student
16:29 1970 Demolished Shantytown, Rebuilt

Some of the photos in this feature have been colored using AI coloring technology, some are original color images held by the archive, and the rest are the original black-and-white images.

Some scenes start in black-and-white and are staged to allow the colors to blend. The photos themselves are the original archive images.

All photos in this feature are actual records held by the archive and are not images created by generative AI.

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● Source
Courtesy of the State Archives of North Carolina · No known copyright restrictions

www.flickr.com/photos

1971-02 Driver and police officer discussing a ticket

1970-10 Hillside neighborhood seen from an apartment

1970-09 Hillside neighborhood seen from the 2nd floor of an apartment

1971-01 Seoul seen from the rooftop of the Chosun Hotel

1971 Seoul and Namsan seen from the rooftop

1970-09 Dirt alley with a clothesline

1970-10 Neighborhood alley

1970 Girl standing on steep stone steps

1970-07 Shack in the back alley of a brass factory

1970-10 Four children standing in a dirt yard

1970-10 Woman doing laundry in the yard

1970-09 Junk shop workers in the alley

1970 Pushing a garbage cart People

1970-09 People cleaning up trash in the market

1970-11 A porter carrying a heavy load

1970-09 Porters at Seoul Station waiting with their A-frames set up

1970-09 Woman with a foot sewing machine in front of the market

1970-10 Woman with a foot sewing machine by the roadside

1971 Repairing a telephone line with a bamboo ladder

1970-09 Bicycle delivery man

1971-01 Mechanic polishing a black sedan in front of the Chosun Hotel

1970-11 Trimming shoe heels from demolition debris

1971-01 Man standing next to a Jeep in front of a shop

1970-09 Market stall

1970-09 Stall piled with cotton balls

1970-09 Kimchi jars climbed up to the roof

1971 Bustling market alley

1970 Woman talking in front of a stall

1970 Woman passing in front of a makeshift stall

1970-11 A woman passing by a cart loaded with rubber tubs
1970-10 A woman pushing a cart of radishes while carrying a baby on her back
1970-10 An open-air stall piled with ingredients for making kimchi
1970-11 Women selling root vegetables over a fire
1970-09 A stack of old briquette stoves
1970 Briquettes piled up in front of a briquette shop
1970-10 In front of a village shop where a kiln for kimchi jars used to be
1970-10 Children walking between the jars
1970-09 Black market for American goods in front of Ewha Womans University
1971-01 Black market for American goods spread out in baskets
1970-09 Girls playing marbles on the dirt road of the market
1970-09 Children gathered in front of a toy store
1970-10 Children standing in front of a store
1970-10 Children pushing a cart up a hill
1970-10 A mother and ...