Itaewon: an arena of cultural diversity

THE ORIGINAL ESSAY

Once seen by many Koreans as a place reserved for foreigners, Itaewon has grown up in recent years. Transforming from a foreigner friendly shopping area with a somewhat seedy nightlife, into a cosmopolitan district of diversity. Itaewon has put on a new face and is now lined with some of the best restaurants in all of Seoul: Italian to Indian, Greek to German, Persian to Pakistani, French to Thai, the choices abound.

Many Korean youth who are curious about foreigners and their cultures, as well as those looking for bonded goods, frequently visit Itaewon. Its thousands of stores attract many foreign shoppers. Shop owners often speak English or Japanese and carry products that are not available in Dongdaemun or Namdaemun, from fake luxury goods that look like the real thing to clothing of all sorts and sizes, and even Korean and foreign antiques.

The area still has a vibrant nightlife. Though in close proximity to the US 8th Army, the people partying till the wee hours are seldom the American soldiers as there is a strict curfew enforced on military personnel. Many expatriates head here for a touch of home and Koreans who come often say they feel like they are in a foreign land. These days more and more Koreans are finding its culinary delights worth exploring or just enjoying a glass of foreign beer on tap and having fun with the expat crowd. The streets are filled with people from all over the world, including the US, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Russia. Virtually every foreigner who has visited Korea remembers their visit to Itaewon.

Itaewon is no “island within Seoul” It is, in a sense, a “plaza of festivals” where different cultures live and breathe, where various cultures meet through cuisine, fashion and nightlife, where foreigners come to allay homesickness, and where Koreans nostalgic for times spent overseas come for a blast from the past.

From Peter’s supplied Seoul guidebook introduction, chapter 13. Original observations and historical framing are retained. PDF line-break and spacing repairs are recorded separately from factual updates. Guidebook photography and venue directories are not republished.