Imagine a place where you can buy everything you need at a reasonable price. In one convenient location. At any time of the day. While such a fantasy land might only seem like the stuff of dreams, in Korea, it’s a reality and it goes by the name of Dongdaemun. Here, mammoth modern shopping complexes …
Before the days of discount supermarkets and department stores, markets were the primary locales for shopping, trading and gossiping in Korea. Unfortunately, due to rapid modernization and an increase in more convenient shopping facilities over the past few decades, the country’s traditional markets have continuously lost patronage and are quickly diminishing both in size and …
Once the country’s largest market for trading antiques and artwork, Insadong has over the years developed into a bustling yet quaint destination that is now recognized as one of Seoul’s most iconic neighborhoods. Fairly well preserved and organized to represent Korea’s culture of both the past and the present, Insadong is the premiere locale to …
This is the second part of a two-part series of a walking tour through Seoul’s university neighborhoods. To read Part 1: Edae, click here. Sinchon at night | © Sami Paju / Flickr From Hello apM in Edae, pass Sinchon Railway Station, which separates Ewha Women’s University and Yonsei University, and is the oldest railway station …
As the familiar hues of nightfall spill across the skies, herds of tourists flood into the streets of Myeongdong. 6.8 million of them a year, to be exact. Neon starts to flash overhead, filling the streets with an instantly recognizable buzz, barely audible over the rhythmic beats of K-pop that blare from hidden speakers. Shop …
Although no longer the capital of Seoul’s art and music scene, present-day Hyehwa is a neighborhood that still bursts with creativity and youthful energy. The area is situated in the northeastern part of the capital and is also known as Daehangno, a nickname derived from dehag, or “university,” due to its close proximity to quite …
Perhaps no other neighborhood in all of Seoul embodies Korea’s youth culture as well as Hongdae. Here, the streets are alive with a youthful spirit that fosters a creativity evident in the sounds of busking musicians, in the colorful graffiti on the walls and in the unique fashion and hair styles sported by the young …
Whether browsing shoes in Edae or having a few drinks in Sinchon, the uniquely youthful spirit of this vibrant cluster of university neighborhoods is at once evident. The area’s tiny shops, restaurants and bars are seemingly always open, making it a favorite haunt of Seoul’s college women, attracting throngs of youngsters every day of the …
The Gangnam Station area (yes, that Gangnam) stretches from the subway station of the same name to the northern end of Sinnonhyeon Station and is a place where Korea’s education, youth and corporate cultures converge simultaneously. Its electric streets really come alive at night, when businessmen and career women descend from the modern office buildings …
Seochon Village is one of the most historical neighborhoods in central Seoul. Often associated with the middle class of merchants, physicians and translators of the Joseon dynasty, it was once known as the center of Korean literature. Stretching from the western gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace to the base of Inwang Mountain, it is an area …