I’m your hope, you’re my hope, I’m J-HOPE!!! Familiar with these words, Army? Yes! Welcome to Hope World, Gwangju! It is the sixth-largest city in South Korea, and it was the capital of South Jeolla Province until the provincial office moved to the southern village of Namak in Muan County in 2005. It is because Gwangju or “Kwangju” is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government’s Home Minister. Its name is composed of the words Gwang meaning "light" and Ju meaning "province." Gwangju was historically recorded as Muju in which "Silla merged all of the land to establish the provinces of Gwangju, Ungju, Jeonju, Muju, and various counties, plus the southern boundary of Goguryeo and the ancient territories of Silla" in the Samguk Sagi. In the heart of the agricultural Jeolla region, the city is also famous for its rich and diverse cuisine.
After traveling around Daegu, we have finally arrived at J-Hope’s hometown located in the heart of the Jeolla region, and it is the sixth-largest city in South Korea where there are more than 1.5 million people. It connects with Seoul to the North and Busan to the East by air, rail, and road. If we go back to “Ma City”, a song from BTS' HYYH pt. 1 album, we could find J Hope's verse that ends with these lyrics: “If you want to see me then gather at 7 o’clock. Everyone presses it, 062-518.” "7 o'clock" was used by opposition forces to despise Gwangju because the city is located at 7 o'clock on the map; “062” refers to the area code and 518 represents the start of the democratization movement in Gwangju on May 18, 1980.
Now, we are going further to many tourist attractions in this place- the first destination, Mt Mudeungsan which rises to 3,894 feet and is known for its Chunseol tea with the aroma of watermelon. It was formed by the Cretaceous volcanic activity about 87 million years ago. It features three rock peaks called Cheonwangbong, Jiwangbong, and Inwangbong as the “Jeongsang Three.'' At the base of the beautiful mountain are several famous temples including Yaksasa, Jeungsimsa, and Wonhyosa. The autumn leaves of Gyubongam Hermitage and the silver grass of Baengma Ridge are quite spectacular, and in the winter, snow and ice on the mountain create exquisite scenery as well. Below the mountain, there are a variety of recreational facilities and tourist sites for visitors.
After hiking this mountain, let’s get down to the town and visit J-hope’s childhood places. There are Seoil Elementary School, Ilgok Middle School, and Kukje High School. From his elementary school to middle school, it only takes around four minutes to walk and there is a snack eatery near this school. If you want to go to his high school from Seoil Elementary school, you can take bus 29 and get off after six stops at Kukjergo. When you arrive at the main gate, you should walk uphill longer and don’t forget to bring your water in case you are thirsty. The schools are not open to visitors, but it’s still fun to walk around the places of J-hope’s childhood.
We already finished our trip to his primary schools. Now let’s move on to his favorite school: Joy Dance and Plug-In Music Academy where he attended before debuting at Big Hit entertainment as a member of BTS. When you come in, you will see his welcoming signs at the entrance. We can see how proud the school is for having him as one of their students. For this building, there are two levels. The second floor is for vocal training, and the third floor is for dance training. We also can see a lot of information about the auditions that help the entertainment agencies see if anyone is worth casting as a trainee.
Image credit https://www.creatrip.com/en/blog/9177
Time keeps running fast, but we can still go to another place where penguins live. (Just kidding!) The real one is this village is called Penguin Village. Why did they call it by that name? That’s because one of the elders of the village who limps from a traffic accident 40 years ago walks like a cute penguin. The village has the old vibes that bring us to the 1970s and 1980s — and yes, we can find lots of spots to take a picture with the penguins. I bet you are wondering about what the relationship between this village and J-hope is, right? Drum rolls, please! Wait for the moment. and you will see the magic of this city and the citizens. Dugu dugu dugu… Tada! Lots of J-hope paintings down the alley. These paintings are just made by Chinese fans from February 16th to 17th 2020 in terms of celebrating his birthday. What a lovely present!
Image credit https://www.creatrip.com/en/blog/9177
There is another one that is coming from his birthplace, Gwangju. The city revealed the much-awaited Sculpture “Hope World” to honor the Billboard #1 Hot 100 Singer and Songwriter. The sculpture has 21,800 messages written by ARMYs on it from various countries worldwide. It is located on the K-pop Star Street in Gwangju and has been commissioned by the Gwangju city and K-pop Art School. Seeing this wonderful gift, J hope was blessed and touched. Then, he expressed his gratitude through a letter to the school which was turned into a placard that was mounted on the statue. It was written about his caring nature and wishes to make ARMYs proud.
Having fun being around Hope world here? It sounds as if he is everywhere, isn’t it? The city Gwangju praises him a lot and is proud of his achievements, so they expressed their appreciation for him through a gift! Sounds lovely right? As we can see, they are proud of his achievement and part of Gwangju trademark for his path.
Wait, we’re not done here! We have one place left to show and this is the last one, we promise! Thinking of BTS' hometown, there is never enough for us to satisfy our desire to explore and to find out more of their precious memories. This last destination will cause a euphoric moment for you — we make sure of that! So, prepare for the next trip because part of this place is serendipity.
DISCLAIMER: We do not own any audio & visual content in this video except for the editing. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THE RIGHTFUL OWNERS. No copyright infringement intended.
Written By: Tobing
Edit By: Esma
Checked By: Aury
Comments