Hanok Village was on the Jeonju River-side outside West Gate, which is near present-day Daga-dong. The area was where Japanese people who flooded into Jeonju after the Eulsa Treaty (1905) mainly resided. Areas outside the West Gate were mostly inhabited by lower-class people or merchants. There were clear distinctions between classes at that time, and the City wall served as the dividing line.

  However, in 1907. the western part of the City Wall was demolished to make way for the Whole Army Highway, used for mass transportation of grain. The complete demolition of Eastern part of the City Wall in late 1991, except for the South Gate, marked the end of Jeonju City. This provided a new opportunity for Japanese to enter the city, and, as a result, many Japanese merchants who once kept shops near the West Gate advanced into Daga-dong and Jungang-dong. Because of a program of “City Suburb Revision” that took place in Jeonju 3 times before 1934, Jeonju’s streets took on a grid pattern, gradually forming major commercial areas. Japanese merchants formed the biggest commercial area in Jeonju, and this trend continued until 1945.

  For several years after 1930, Koreans started to build Hanok Village throughout the PungNam-dong and Gyo-dong area, mainly as a reaction to the continued expansion of Japanese influence. This was partially a response against Japanese-style houses and partially an expression of national pride. Hanok areas in Gyo-dong and PungNam-dong, built in the 1930s, showed clear contrast with the Japanese style, and displayed some odd city color, as they included Western style missionary houses, schools and churches nearby. Looking over from Omokdae, the Hanok Village in Gyo-dong and Pungnam-dong shows majestic ridges of octagonal roofs with beautiful round lines and shapes.