A Quiet Pause Found Among Vintage Books Lined by Color — Old Book Village

On the first floor of Bukchan Place Pension in Bukchan-ri on Jeju's northern coast, there's a café called 'Old Book Village.' As the name suggests, vintage books are the main character of this space, but it's not just a place to sell or display books — they're arranged by color, creating what looks like a single art installation piece, it's said. The space gained word-of-mouth popularity when visitors to Jeju introduced it on social media, and it's now known as an emerging cultural landmark. Having opened in November 2022, it's become a fresh cultural hub among recently opened cafés on the island.

What Does It Mean to Sort Books by Color?

The most distinctive feature of Old Book Village is how it classifies and displays books by the color of their covers. While libraries typically organize books by subject or author, this place is different, it's said. Red books are grouped together, blue books together, yellow books together, and when arranged this way, the entire space looks like a rainbow, it's known. This classification system — based solely on the color of the cover, regardless of the book's content or publication year — is considered unique. Each book becomes a color block, ultimately creating a massive color palette, you could say.

As visitors look through books organized this way, the way they choose books becomes completely different, it's said. Instead of searching by title or author's name, people find themselves choosing books by saying, 'Today feels like blue.' Since books of the same color contain various genres and subjects mixed together, the chances of discovering a book you wouldn't have expected are said to be higher. It's said that encounters with books become more serendipitous and fateful.

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Old Book Village as a Book Café

Old Book Village is not merely a book display space but also operates as a café, it's said. A space is prepared where visitors can enjoy a beverage while browsing books, it's known. This has made it a place where travelers visiting Jeju linger for an hour or two, leisurely flipping through books and taking a break. It's particularly known for its quiet, low-noise atmosphere, so it's become popular with travelers seeking a contemplative experience different from other Jeju tourism spots filled with ocean views.

If you search '@oldbookchon' on Instagram, you can see photos posted by visitors, it's said. The colorful backdrop created by the arrangement of books has become particularly popular as a photo spot, it's known. Although it's a cultural space centered on books, many note that its visual beauty stands out first. More and more people are seeking it out as they look for a sensibility different from typical Jeju tourism spots, it's said.

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A Quiet Cultural Street in Bukchan-ri, Jocheon-eup

Bukchan-ri, Jocheon-eup, Jeju City, where Old Book Village is located, is known to be a village on Jeju's northern coast. Originally a quiet fishing village, it has slowly transformed over recent years as cafés, galleries, and small cultural spaces have opened, it's said. Old Book Village can be seen as part of that change. Housed on the first floor of Bukchan Place Pension, it draws both pension guests and people taking walks along nearby beaches, it's said. Both business owners and visitors seem to make efforts to preserve a quiet and leisurely atmosphere, it's known.

Jeju is famous for natural tourism attractions like Hallasan, beaches, and oreums, but small cultural spaces like Old Book Village are increasingly gaining attention, it's said. Spaces themed around books, art, exhibitions, and bookstores are appearing across Jocheon and other areas of Jeju, it's known. Old Book Village can be seen as a starting point for this new kind of Jeju cultural tourism experience.