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The hipsterization and gentrification of Seoul alleyways

and the confused urban aesthetics of a fast-growing city

by Leah Erica Chung

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PREFACE

Seoulhasmanyalleyways.Theyarenarrow, twisting,non-directional concrete andasphalt passageways thatonly alocalwould know how to properly navigate.You can see howmenacingtheycanbefornewcomersbyjustlookingatastreetmap of Seoul.These narrow alleyways are oftenweaved intolower-incomeresidentialneighborhoodsandarehometosmallmom-and-pop businesses like dry-cleaning shops, hole-in-the-wallconveniencestores,andoldschoolbarbershops.Theyareusuallyupsteephills,awayfromthehustleandbustleofMainStreetwherethetouristsandbigcorporateshopsmingle.

Lately, things have started to shift in these twodisparatekindsofneighborhoods.Let’stakethefamousKyung-Li-Dan street (경리단길)forexample.Aoncequiet,ordinarystreetnear the famous tourist spot, Itaewon, Kyung-Li-Dan street isnowthego-tospotontheweekends.There,youcanseeyoungpeople liningup around theblock for churros, thehot-itemoftheseason,andothersliningupforasliceofpizzaandbeeratan open garage-like beer establishment. Wedged in between

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thesehipestablishmentsis,say,themom-and-popdry-cleaningshop that’s been around for the last three decades. It’s quiteananachronisticjuxtaposition(sorry,Isoundlikeanarthistorydouchebag).

Atfirst, Iwasamazedandexcitedbytheboringalleywayscomingalivewithcafesandeateriesforyoungpeople.Itwas a lotmore interesting and unique thanwalking the largetouriststreetsofMyeongdong(명동)linedwithcorporatemake-upstoresandfour-storycafes.Butwhenyouunderstandthesedevelopmentsareastep inthedirectiontowardgentrificationandhearaboutwhatitdoestoitslong-timeresidents,it’sscary.

In another rapidly changing neighborhood calledSeochon (서촌),manyarebeingforcedtomoveout.One70yearold residentwho lived in the samehouse for34yearshad tomoveoutbecausetherentsoaredfrom$10,000to$60,000ayear1.Ayoungnewlywedjustsettlinginhadtomoveoutwitheverincreasingmonthlyrent1.Acommunitybathhousethathadbeenaroundfor40yearshadtocloseitsdoorsduetosharplydecliningnumberofcustomers (causedby long-termresidentsmoving out because of aforementioned rent hikes)1. Overall,Seochonhasdecreaseditsresidentialspaceby8.8%since2012while it has increased in cafe/food establishment space by129.3%1.

Thespeedofgentrificationisterrifyingtoo.Accordingto Shin Hyunjoon, a professor at the Institute for East AsianStudies at SungKongHou University, “Insadong (인사동) in the 1990stookabout10yearsforgentrificationtotakefulleffect,

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whileSamcheongdong(삼청동)in2000tookonly5years.Seochonin2010hasonlytaken2-3years.It’sgettingtoofast.”

Garosugil (가로수길) in Shinsa (신사) is a famous streetthathaslonggonethroughthefulleffectsofgentrification.Itiscurrentlytakenoverbylargecorporateclothingstoresorcafes.Therearestill smallerbusinesses inalleywaysbutoverall, it isbecoming lessofwhat itused tobe.Hongdae (홍대) is another onethathasnowspreaditsgentrificationwavetoneighboringareaslikeHapjeong(합정)andSangsudong(상수동).

In this photo publication I look at the streets ofUsadanro(우사단로),ahiddenneighborhoodofresidentialspacesanddecades-oldmom-and-pop shops that recently hit awaveof artist and designers setting up shop. It’s a very unique andsomewhat confusing area because you see a hipster juice barthatyoucanswearissupposedtobeinWilliamsburg,Brooklyn,sitting right next to an old-school, hole-in-the-wall real estateoffice.This kind of juxtaposition is found in every other shop.I’ve photographed asmanyof these anachronisms asmuch aspossible,thoughsomephotossimplyshowinterestingsignsandphenomenaofafastchangingneighborhood.

I’mnotsure ifUsadanro isbeinggentrifiedornot. It’sgreatthatartistsanddesignersarebringinglotsofcharactertothesealleywaysbutIalsodon’tknowifthat’sagoodthingfortheold-timersinthatneighborhood.Maybeitis,whoknows.ButKyung-Li-Danstartedoffthatway,withinnocentartanddesignstudiospoppinguphereand there,until it attractedmoreandmore people, and eventually lots of cash-abundant cafes and


foodestablishments.Ithashappenedlikeasequencedecologicalsuccession,everytime:ordinary neighborhood > low rent attracts artists/designers > people hang out > more people hang out > more shops open up > hot spot certified > large businesses flock > not as unique & original community is long gone

There are the really smart artists and designerswhobringtolifethecharacteristicsofthealleywayandneighborhoodtheylivein.Theyinteractwithlong-timeresidentsandenhancethe community through their work. But there are those thatopen upwhite-walled gallerieswith expensive sculptures andabstract paintings in the middle of a low-income residentialneighborhood.

Iabsolutelylovethemaze-likealleywaysofresidentialareasinSeoul:thebrickhouseswithkellygreenroofpaintandtraditional tile roof tops packed along concrete and asphalthilltops. It’s a landscapeof Seoul that I think is authentic andsaysmore about the character of the city than thosehorriblytackyhigh-riseapartmentsthatoftenblockmyfieldofvision.

Since Seoul’s rapid urbanization in the last 40years,wehavegone from thebeautiful, traditionalhanokhouses tothehorrendousmarblehighrisesandnothinginbetween.Therehavebeen little iterationofwhatthetraditionalhanokhouseswouldlooklikeinthisdigitalcity,andallthatisleftofthemisslowlybeingturnedintofakefrenchcafes.

IwasatadesignpanelorganisedbytheSeoulDesignFoundation lastweek.Thepanel includedEuropeandesigners

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plus one Korean designerwhowas based in London, and thepanelwas held in a swanky over-designed room of the newlybuiltZahaHadidcomplexinDongdaemun(동대문).Thetopicwasvaguely about Seoul city, its citizens, anddesign.OnepanelistfromtheNetherlandsaskedtheonlyimportantquestionofthat

talk:“WhatisSeouldesign?”

ThisquestionimpliedthattheidentityofSeouldesign

wasblurryandIagreed100%.NobodyknowswhatSeouldesign

is.It’snotabouttheNordic-design-emulatingobjectsthatupand

comingKorean designers are exhibiting at design festivals. It’s

notaboutthehorrendouslyhugeZahaHadidbuildingthatSeoul

citygotintremendousdebttobuild.

WhenyougotoHelsinki,designisembeddedintothe

city,ineverystreetsign,shopsign,andineveryhueofmaterial

usedtobuildthecity.NordicdesigniscalledNordicdesignnot

becauseofafewobjectsthatarecharacteristicofthatEuropean

regionbutbecauseeverything--theobjects, thecommunities,

thecities, thepeople, thevalues --of thatareaareall imbued

withNordicdesignprinciples.

So when that panelist asks what is Seoul design she is really

askingwhatshouldthestreetsofSeoul lookliketoyou?What

shouldthealleywaysofSeoullookliketoyou?Whatshouldthe

communitiesofSeoullooktoyou? It’s difficult to offer a firm commentary on theunique Usadanro area as well as the other already gentrified


1 음성원. “‘서촌’에 사람과 돈이 몰려오자…꽃가게 송씨·세탁소 김씨가 사라졌다.”

한겨레 (2014): n. pag. Web. <http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/society_

general/665778.html>.

neighborhoods, but it’s important to be aware ofwhat thesechangescanmeantodifferentpeople.It’simportanttolookatthese small alley-way changes and reflect on how theymightchangethearchitecturalandculturallandscapeofSeoul.


Residential houses and mural art


From left: real estate office, juice bar, Vespa


Left: hair salon, Right: tattoo shop

Left: beauty shop, Right: coffee shop


From left: Hardware store, heating unit repair shop, dry cleaning shop, mini mart


Left: mini mart, RIght: bakery



Left: design agency, Right: makeshift garage


Left: mini mart, Right: textiles design shop/studio


Left: fried chicken restaurant, Right: leather crafts studio


Center: Design studio, utility unknown


Metal yard


From left: tent company, glass shop, coffee shop

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“여기 2층 쓰레기...버리지 마시오...꼭”

“Donotthrowoutthe2ndfloortrashhere...please”


“쓰래기 갓다 노으면 개망신 당함”

“Ifyouthrowoutthetrashhere,youwillbedisgraced.”

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Left: ad stickers on residential door,Bottom right: clothing alteration ad,Bottom right: ‘no parking’ sign

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Top row: street trash against electricity poleBotom row: ‘No Trash’ warning signs in Korean, English, and Arabic

Accidentally hipster street typography

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Fried potato snack shop


From left: signless underwear store, signless vintage clothing store


From left: unknown, unknown, Taekwondo academy, metal craft studio

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No. 2 3-day book

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