The bustling Daehangno area in Seoul, South Korea, is a haven for artists and art lovers. Theatre posters layer the walls, and audiences drift between small stages, cafes and late-night bars.
Tucked inside the Arts Council Korea (Arko) Artist House is a quieter kind of stage.
Behind its doors sits Renaissance, a music salon that feels less like a venue and more like a time capsule. Vintage speakers tower over the room, record players and old amplifiers sit like relics of another era, and faded fliers and yellowing papers hint at stories that stretch back decades.
Opened in May 2025, the space invites visitors to do something increasingly rare: sit still and listen.
Renaissance is rooted in the legacy of one man: Pak Yong-chan (1916-1994).
Who was Pak Yong-chan?
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