Itaewon

Itaewon, in Seoul's Yongsan District, is usually described as the city's most international neighbourhood. Restaurants serving food from all over the world, an old jazz club and a second-hand bookshop, and Middle Eastern shops around the mosque all share the same slopes below Namsan, linked by a tangle of narrow lanes that make it a good place simply to walk.

History: an inn on the road south

The name comes from a Joseon-era won, a state-run inn for officials and travellers, which was called Itaewon. Records from King Hyojong's reign say there were so many pear trees here that the name came to be written with the character for "pear". It is an old crossroads: King Gongmin of Goryeo passed through when fleeing the Red Turban invaders, and in the Joseon era it was the first stop on the road from the capital to the Yeongnam region in the south-east. Old records also mention a temple called Gosansa, a spring and a valley full of pines nearby.

Modern Itaewon was shaped by the US Army's Yongsan Garrison, established in 1945. Shops and bars serving foreigners grew up around the base, and over the decades the area turned into a shopping street and then into a hub of global food and nightlife. Embassies in nearby Hannam-dong and Seobinggo-dong mean many foreign residents live here too.

On 29 October 2022, as crowds gathered for Halloween celebrations, a crowd crush in one of Itaewon's narrow alleys killed more than 150 people. Many visitors walk through the neighbourhood with that night in mind.

What to see

• World food streets: restaurants from many countries, serving dishes rarely found elsewhere in Korea, along the main road and back lanes.
• Seoul Central Mosque: opened in 1976. It is officially in Hannam-dong, and Middle Eastern restaurants, shops and travel agencies line the lanes around it. Dress modestly if you visit.
• All That Jazz and Itaewon Books: All That Jazz is the oldest jazz club still operating in Korea, and Itaewon Books is the city's oldest English-language second-hand bookshop.
• Bugundang History Park: a small park on the site of the old village shrine, with a memorial to independence activist Yu Gwan-sun and views over Namsan and Yongsan.
• Drama locations: the streets of the 2020 series Itaewon Class. The real pub used as DanBam now trades under another name and serves dishes from the show.

Good to know

• Itaewon is known as one of the places in Seoul where LGBTQ+ life is most visible.
• The 2011 song "Itaewon Freedom" celebrated the area's open atmosphere.
• Until 1937 the area held Seoul's largest cemetery.

Tripto tips

• Getting there: Line 6 runs right through the area, with Itaewon, Noksapyeong and Hangangjin stations.
• Time needed: two hours for a daytime walk and lunch, half a day with dinner and live music.
• When to go: lanes and cafés by day, restaurants and bars at night. On big event nights and holidays, avoid packed alleys and follow on-site guidance.
• Nearby: walk uphill towards Haebangchon and Namsan and watch the neighbourhood change around you.