About the Hannam-dong Neighborhood
Hannam-dong is an old Korean residential neighborhood in Seoul next to Itaewon, a neighborhood that became an international trade zone and tourist attraction partly because of its proximity to the US Army base in Yongsan and to many consulates. As a result many businesses in the area are particularly foreigner-friendly.
Now, that stream in the picture has been paved over. The school in the background (the colorful building in the upper left corner of the 1967 photograph) is still there but about fifteen times the size now, and everything else has changed.
Hannam-dong is transforming into a stylish, “hip” neighborhood, with old souvenir and craft shops and family-style barbecues replaced by nice multinational restaurants and cafés, coffee shops and roasters, bakeries, ice cream shops, chocolatiers, all kinds of clothing stores and boutiques, art galleries, book stores, photo booths, clubs and bars, and more.
If you have watched the Netflix show Culinary Culture Wars, three chefs in that show have very successful restaurants within one block of our villa.
Some residential buildings are changing to mixed-use to ride the wave of new businesses eager to come into the neighborhood. Others are being torn down to be replaced by small commercial properties. This is the home of the Samsung family, BTS, and more, and this has always been the home of high-ranking government officials and well-to-do business owners. It is perhaps no surprise to see this place become so trendy.
There are several museums here, one owned and run by the Samsung family just up the hill. Blue Square performing arts center is about a six-minute walk from us, offering concerts, plays and musicals (including traveling Broadway troupes) all year round.
Some people now refer to Hannam-dong as the new Gangnam, a neighborhood just a few minutes drive away which was popularized in Western culture by the K-pop song Gangnam Style, a song having to do with people treating Gangnam like Beverly Hills.
Next-door to our villa is Korea’s overall most expensive housing so far – the Nine One Apartments – a gated community where performers like G-Dragon and Lee Jong-suk have purchased units and more recently BTS’ Jimin and RM. Before Nine One, that land was housing for the 8th Army, US Forces Korea. Now it is not unusual to see Lamborghinis, Ferraris, McLarens, Aston-Martins, Maybachs and the occasional Rolls or Bentley being driven here. Toward the east side of Hannam-dong are the Hannam The Hill apartments – the second most expensive in Korea and the initial home of K-pop group BTS and others.
We have two major roads (Itaewon-ro and Hannam-daero) within a two- to four-minute walk from our villa where taxicabs, dozens of buses and the Seoul Metro subway are in easy reach. Our quiet one-way street has a couple of residential villas, also a superb bakery, a 24-hour convenience store with an excellent beer selection, a barber, a bar/café, several restaurants featuring famous chefs, many coffee shops, also clothing and eyewear boutiques, a flower shop, a fashion pop-up space, a real estate agent, a high-end tailor shop and a dry cleaner.
Like many places off the main roads here, there are no sidewalks on our street and people on foot and e-scooters get along fine with the cars, occasional small trucks and many delivery motorbikes. The neighborhood is very walkable with many small shops but like most of Seoul and much of Korea, this neighborhood at the foot of Namsan (literally: Nam Mountain) is hilly. For the elderly and/or infirm it can be challenging to walk in parts of Hannam-dong, though you would never guess by watching the locals. For people who like hiking, a major park trailhead is a few minutes away.
Hannam-dong has an amazing amount of shopping and other businesses. There are also many churches, a shul (Chabad of Korea), a Kingdom Hall (Jehovah’s Witnesses) and the Seoul Central Mosque. A major hospital with an international clinic is walking distance (~15 minutes) and dental clinics are nearby. The post office is next door to the hospital. Every major Korean bank (Shinhan, Woori, Hana, KEB, IBK, NH, etc.) has a full-service branch close to our villa. The highly regarded Yongsan International School of Seoul (YISS) is less than ten minutes walking time from us, door to door. The Itaewon Global Village Center – an invaluable resource for foreigners – is actually in Hannam-dong.
All varieties of Korean food are here of course, also American and regional American, Japanese, Czech, Russian, Mexican and Tex-Mex, Indian, Malaysian, Mediterranean, Middle-Eastern, Spanish, Italian, French, African, South African, Ethiopian, German, Vietnamese, varieties of Chinese and more. The most amazing donuts (Old Ferry!) are around the corner a few blocks away from us. There are 24-hour restaurants a few blocks away too.
There are options here for organic, vegetarian and gluten-free foods, also halal and kosher foods! Shuttle Delivery can bring almost all of this to your door, and basic groceries too. SSG/Emart and Gmarket also deliver here routinely. There are even some quite passable pizza options for American expats such as Jackson Blvd Clubhouse and Deephouse Pizza. Popular western fast foods here include KFC, Pizza Hut, Dominoes and Subway. McDonald’s is at the far end of Itaewon but delivers here too. There is an excellent food court and fine dining just three minutes away from us at Gourmet 494.
There are nearby wine and liquor stores, a grocery store, butchers, delis, gyms/pilates/yoga, a virtual golf range and pro shops, a fencing academy, a music academy, pool/billiards, bowling alleys, camping outfitters, bait and tackle shops, cellphone and calling card stores, appliance showrooms, office supplies, printers, hardware stores, furniture, housewares, dinnerware, clothing, sportswear, footwear and accessory boutiques, millineries, jewelry sales and repair, arts & crafts, a shoe repair, eyewear stores, health & beauty, record stores (vinyl!), karaoke rooms, PC cafés, bicycle shops, motorcycle and scooter sales and repair, saunas and massage services, acupuncture and dermatology clinics, catering/wedding halls, more guest houses and four- and five-star hotels.
When exploring our neighborhood don’t forget to peer into alleys and to look up! Many storefronts for great businesses here are not on the ground floor or even facing onto main roads.
Gucci recently established a brand store where Hannam-dong and Itaewon meet, and brands like Valentino are opening up pop-up stores here. Itaewon is where you can also find Korean souvenirs, antique shops with lots of Americana, suit and shirt makers, leather outerwear and accessories, adult stores, more markets, clubs, bars and restaurants, and more of the old Seoul flavor.
Automobile dealers in Hannam-dong seem to reflect the neighborhood’s changes with showrooms for Porsche, AMG Mercedes, BMW, Polestar, Jaguar / Land Rover and of course Hyundai. Motorcycle aficionados may appreciate the Harley-Davidson dealership across the main road. BMW Motorrad and KTM have stores and service shops down the hill, along with Vespa Piaggio. Specialized Bicycles has a dealer and full-service shop here too.
Adjacent walking-distance neighborhoods with much in the way of restaurants, entertainment and interesting small shops include Itaewon, as mentioned, also “HBC” (Haebangchon), Kyungridan and Bogwang-dong. If you wander off the main roads to explore these neighborhoods, be prepared for hills, some very steep the further you venture.
Of course there’s more to life in South Korea than the Hannam-dong area. The subway and many buses here give you easy access to Seoul’s tourist attractions and to the rest of the country via Seoul Station / KTX, the Seoul Express Bus Terminal and airport buses to Gimpo and Incheon. Korea’s mass transit is fairly easy to navigate, especially with the help of smartphone apps like Naver Maps and Kakao Maps. Most navigation signs here are in Korean and English. From here it’s a snap to reach Gangnam, Myeong-dong, Insa-dong, Gwanghwamun, Cheonggyecheon, Cheongwadae (Blue House presidential palace), COEX Mall, palaces, temples, shrines, city gates and popular markets like Namdaemun, Dongdaemun, etc.
Come stay with us at Hannam BnB Seoul and enjoy all that South Korea has to offer!
