Neighborhoods in Seoul, and their vibes 1

In this blog, I’m going to sketch out five popular neighborhoods in Seoul and their vibes: Jongno-gu, Jung-gu, Mapo-gu, Gangnam-gu and Yongsan-gu. They are cheerful neighborhoods where people come to have fun. In this episode, I will cover Jongno-gu and Jung-gu, which is adjacent to Jongno. The remaining areas will be detailed in the following episode.

Let’s start with Jongno, which is located in the middle of Seoul. Jongno is an attractive neighborhood where the traditional and modern coexist with old palaces and Hanoks, traditional Korean houses, standing alongside skyscrapers. The skyscrapers are obviously modern but they represent the history of Jongno too since the area has been the commercial hub of Seoul for centuries. The young and old, locals and visitors…everyone loves Jongno.

There are many art galleries, from boutiques to large ones, in Jongno. The Bugak mountain stands up high and pointy behind Gyeongbok Palace, where the skies are always beautiful.

Let’s turn around. There’s the wide-open Gwanghwamun square in the middle of the skyscrapers surrounding it, young people in their twenties walking in Hanbok, traditional Korean clothes, through the old palace and Hanoks.

Let’s visit Seochon first, which is located to the west of Gyeongbok Palace. Artists and professionals, who were collectively called Jungin, lived in Seochon a long time ago. Urbanized Hanoks and low-story residential buildings can be found here in Seochon.

People love exploring Seochon through alleys connected like a spiderweb among the Hanoks and residential buildings. It’s easy to get lost as there are no street name signs, which makes the adventure even more interesting. You will unexpectedly run into cute art galleries, relaxing coffee shops, beautiful but simple restaurants and humble wine bars. These places are not easily discoverable even when you are determined to find them. They are often uncovered accidentally when you wander around without purpose.

Let’s slowly walk down this quiet street for a while without a destination. You will be tempted to take a quick nap under a Jeong-ja with a fresh breeze gently touching your face. Time seems to move slowly here in Seochon, which is close to but separated from a busy downtown right next to it. Residents look so easygoing. Their tranquil faces seem to tell me why poets and other artists historically settled in this neighborhood.

There is Tongin traditional market right out of Gyeongbok Palace subway station. The market is relatively small but clean and well organized. You can find snacks here. Seochon feels private when the night comes with light orange street lights and sparsely lit-up stores opening until late. Late at night, when most visitors have left Seochon, is a great time to enjoy a glass of wine in a comfortable atmosphere created by the locals.

Bukchon, an adjacent neighborhood to Seochon, has seemingly similar but unique vibes. Just compare Hanoks in Bukchon to Seochon. They are magnificent. Centuries ago, the royal family of the Joseon dynasty and the highest ranking officials lived in Bukchon.

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art is in Bukchon. Modern, artistic buildings and large art galleries are concentrated here. Traditional Hanoks are found among the inspiring modern buildings and art galleries. There are various shops gathered in Bukchon too, large and small; prominent and humble.

Gahoe-dong, Anguk-dong, Gye-dong, Pil-dong, and Samcheong-dong are popular individually as well. Each of the districts has its own unique alleys on which coffee shops, gourmet restaurants and art galleries are lined up. There are a lot of things to enjoy on these streets, as well as many attractive stores to visit. They will never let you get bored. As you stroll down streets following the attractions that catch your eyes, you will unknowingly move from one district (dong) to another through wide and narrow streets. The five areas are intertwined. As you get into a dong, you will feel the differences. Overall, these areas feel modern as the easygoing vibes of locals living their daily lives blend with the excitement from visitors and tourists.

There are many Hanok guesthouses in this neighborhood (Bukchon). Due to its geographic location, Jongno is very convenient to visit anywhere in Seoul from. Wake up in a Hanok in its peaceful atmosphere. Take a walk in this beautiful neighborhood in the morning and night. Even locals sometimes stay at the Hanok guesthouses to get away from busy modern life.

Shall we go back to Gwanghwamun square? Across Bukchon, there are famous Insa-dong streets. You can enjoy a different side of Jongno there. Let’s visit Insa-dong later. On the left-hand side of the big street leading to Gwanghwamun square, endless high-rises sculpt a beautiful skyline. Gwanghwamun Square, a wide-open space in the middle of Sejong-daero, is a symbolic place that represents the six hundred years of history of the Joseon dynasty. You can see Gyeongbok Palace and Bugak mountain standing behind the massive statues of two Korean heroes, Sejong the Great and Admiral Yi Sunsin. The scenery always calms me down.

Many old money families live in Jongno, particularly areas near the mountain without good public transportation such as Pyeongchang-dong and Buam-dong. They are considered to be the best residential areas by Pungsu Jiri, Korean geomancy, and many people want to live there despite the lack of amenities. You will quickly understand why when you visit the neighborhoods. The aura of these areas feels different.

Jongno is a large district that consists of many small neighborhoods. I wish I could cover all of them in this article. I recommend that you put yourself in a pair of comfortable kicks and casually explore Jongno on foot. Walk through the stonewall streets around old palaces and winding alleys while appreciating the beautiful mountain and skylines.

Let’s walk south from Gwanghwamun square towards Cheonggyecheon to visit Jung-gu. You will see Seoul city hall on your way. From there, you can head towards Myeong-dong or Euljiro. Euljiro is a trendy neighborhood popular with the young and hip. I usually don’t feel that tired walking around Jongno and Jung-gu as many interesting things catch my eye, releasing “feel good” chemicals. When I feel like walking a lot, I start walking from Jongno and move to Jung-gu, or vice versa.

Myeong-dong is a commercial district where big financial institutions and department stores are headquartered. Myeong-dong is a collection of bustling shopping streets. Let’s visit Myeong-dong next time.

Euljiro looks completely different. Let’s walk alongside Cheonggyecheon. Euljiro is a huge commercial and business district. Well, why are we going to a business district? Because it is now one of the hippest places in Seoul.

Young artists started gathering at Euljiro and opened their studios and boutique art galleries there, attracting more young artists consequently. These young artists fell in love with Nopos, old restaurants usually frequented by older people, and are revitalizing Euljiro while maintaining the looks and vibes of its old streets. They added new things without hurting the old and successfully created a new ecosystem in the neighborhood. Euljiro is now perceived as a hip neighborhood, which was unimaginable just a few years ago. There is no specific street in Euljiro where famous restaurants and shops are concentrated. They are scattered across the neighborhood.

A small, beautiful stream, Cheonggyecheon, runs along the border that separates Jung-gu from Jongno. Cheonggyecheon was recreated into an urban park through a restoration project. In big cities, people tend to go to green spaces for quick rests where they can appreciate mother nature. You can walk along the stream while enjoying the constantly changing landscapes above.

Let’s start from Seoul city hall. Look up. You can see shining, slick skyscrapers. Look ahead. There are stone walls, which appear oddly peaceful compared to the hustle and bustle of this big city, and Cheonggyecheon running through the city.

Let’s walk alongside Cheonggyecheon. At some point, you will see a neighborhood with worn-out low-rise buildings. If you visit Euljiro at night, you will notice that Euljiro is way darker than surrounding areas and city noises gradually fade away as you get closer to Euljiro. Timeworn storefront signs with faded colors stand side by side. When you visit Euljiro during the daytime, you can see a series of small stores that display some of their wares outside. There are many stores in Euljiro, but it seems pretty obvious that Euljiro wasn’t a place for having fun.

Now you will see a cluster of specialty wholesale stores most of which you are not familiar with, like construction materials, lightings and interior design supplies. There are long-standing gourmet restaurants hidden in the cluster. Old people who work at the stores tend to care less about atmosphere than younger people, but they do want good food and are regulars at these restaurants. Their exterior tells you that they don’t try to impress customers with anything but their food.

As young artists flocked to Euljiro, it became a trend among them to explore such restaurants, called Nopos. Old bars that grandfathers have been stopping by for decades on the way back home from nearby offices are now crowded with young hipsters.

Nopos have super loyal customers so they barely promote themselves or invest in storefront signs/interior designs. Nopos keep running their businesses with old, unnoticeable storefront signs neglectfully hung out of old buildings.

Young folks who settled in Euljiro are smart enough not to ruin such unique vibes. They were not arrogant, too commercial nor loud. They thought about what would fit into this old neighborhood to improve the old cityscape.

They ended up successfully invigorating Euljiro, which used to be a bleak, old neighborhood nobody wanted to visit to hang out. Euljiro now has unique, irreplicable energy. Coffee shops and restaurants without storefront signs hidden among randomly lined up wholesale stores on winding alleys have become among the hippest places. Well-dressed hipsters walk along with commercial motorcycles and trucks busy delivering products. Such a unique mix might not be found years from now if Euljiro earns more popularity and finally becomes a touristy place. So, I think it is worth visiting Euljiro now.

Sometimes I feel like I’m on an adventure while walking through shabby low-rise buildings with constantly changing views as a backdrop. Some streets in Euljiro even continue for a while alongside Cheonggyecheon. From the Cheonggyecheon stream-side walkway, let’s move up through a staircase and step into an alley. Now the adventure starts.

You will be baffled at first, thinking “how on earth could there be nice restaurants or coffee shops here?” I understand, but trust me. Just go deeper into the street and wander through small alleys following your instinctive feeling. Pick a building you feel destined to stop at and step in. Treat it as a scavenger hunt.

When you come back to Cheonggyecheon and walk on its walkways, you will see Gwangjang market, a traditional marketplace, on your left. Gwangjang Market has over 100 years of history and is especially famous for fabrics, cast iron products, vintage items and food trucks.

The food trucks initially started for those who work at stores in Dongdaemun and Cheonggyecheon areas, which are near Gwangjang market, to quickly grab some food. There are many famous food trucks in the marketplace popular with locals. Yellow incandescent lamps standing in the middle of the market lights it up while people are eating and drinking on simple plastic chairs.

Gwangjang market is a perfect place to experience traditional Korean markets. Anyone who wants to sell something new or get some stuff to make something new comes to Gwangjang market from every corner of the country. Maybe it’s the historic ambience of the market that makes food served at the food trucks taste better than it should!

Let’s walk a bit more past Gwangjang market. You will see Sewoon Sangga, which is the first commercial-residential hybrid building in Korea and was a landmark of Seoul until the 1970s. Celebrities, high-ranked government officers and other upper-class initially resided here before they moved out to residential highrises in Gangnam in the late 1970s. Sewoon Sangga has been on a downhill slide since then and finally became a slum in the 2000s.

This insanely old and shabby building recently got unwanted attention as it is in the middle of fierce debates between those who insist on demolition or the renovation of the building. No announcement has been made, but the city implied that the area around Sewoon Sangga would be renovated. Sewoon Sangga is extremely old to the point that its worn-out look seems to have some artistic value.

Old and shabby, the Sewoon Sangga area has very cheap rents. Not surprisingly, some young artists rented spaces in this area for studios, shops and art galleries and held exhibitions and concerts. It was totally fine until recently to shout out loud at late night concerts held in outdoor spaces in Sewoon Sangga. Sewoon Sangga also enabled young entrepreneurs to freely manifest their imagination in their stores thanks to the cheap rents.

The Sewoon Sangga area has been changing rapidly as the trend initiated here expands its influence towards Chungmuro and Mullae. Young folks line up for a long time at coffee shops here and are new regulars at the kinds of restaurants that have been run by little old ladies for decades.

There are new clubs that play only 80s and 90s music and a natural wine bar without a storefront sign operating in a battered building. The wine bar boasts the progressive, artistic taste of its owner with trendy vintage lighting and bold interior designs while keeping everything in the old building as is.

Spaces once occupied by out-of-fashion stores which had to close their doors as they failed to keep up with changing trends have been recreated by the rogue imaginations of young entrepreneurs. That actually makes me so happy! These spaces have a couple of commonalities. First, many of them don’t have storefront signs. Second, they are generally hidden on the second to fifth floors rather than on the ground floor where they can be easily found.

You can feel the zeitgeist prevalent in Seoul by walking through the Euljiro area, packed with boutique printing shops and small factories at the heart of Seoul but experiencing seminal changes. Euljiro feels new and is probably most appealing to those in their twenties to whom old stuff seems brand new. But the average age of locals (who are generally old) and visitors (who are generally young) is around 40 and Euljiro is still an attractive neighborhood across generations.

Let’s go back to Cheonggyecheon and walk down to the end. As you come up from the streamside walkways, you will see commercial highrises. These form a big shopping mall district at Dongdaemun and have both wholesale and retail stores. They usually sell unbranded wholesale clothes and new Korean designers’ clothes at relatively cheap prices. The mall is specifically popular with teenagers and young adults.

You can look around the stores all night on foot and grab some snacks at food trucks around the mall area anytime you want. Many food trucks and restaurants around the shopping mall are open 24/7 for retail and wholesale customers and those who work at the stores all night. These folks usually stop by at food trucks or restaurants early in the morning to grab some food and drinks on their way home after work. The food trucks and restaurants are really good at spicy food which helps people stay up all night. I strongly recommend you visit Dongdaemun at night to experience its best. There are few places like Dongdaemun at night.

I hope you catch the fresh night air on your way back, a breeze that reminds you of the neighborhoods and their vibes you experienced today. I hope you have a chance to soak your tired body in hot water, gently stretch your body and fall into a deep, pleasant sleep.

If you stay at one of the Hanok guesthouses at Jongno, you will see an unforgettable sight in Jongno: the old palaces with their beautiful lights on, which look totally different from how they look in the day. Night Jongno is breathtakingly beautiful.

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