Korean Job Discussion Forums

[thomas pars]

Of the two main foreigner hangouts Itaewon and Hongdae. I gotta say I've always found Hongdae far creepier than Itaewon. But judging from this site and and the general opinion of most teachers it is the other way around. And i'm not at all sure why. Itaewon is dirty and a grimy. But Hongdae seems sleazy and desperate to me. It looks like some hetero meat market/state college frat party. So why does Itaewon get the bad rep. Is it cause of the Nigerians, the GI's? Enlighten me.

[Fishead soup]

Iteawon is not that sleazy. Places like Pattaya or Angelis city is wayyyy sleazier. Iteawon is relatively Westernized that's one reason for it's popularity. It's also a magnet for people who haven't adjusted to Korean culture. Going once or twice a year is fine.It's got great international restaurants. It's also nice to drop by a place and not have to order an expensive bowel of fruit and find people you can speak English with.

[Xuanzang]

How is Hongdae creepy?

[Old Gil]

I don't understand why people think Hongdae and just talk about the clubs. I go to Hongdae at least 3 time a month and have been to a club exactly twice, once for Halloween, and once cuz I got on the guest list.

There is so much more variety in Hongdae, with tons of really cool lounges/cafes/bars etc, none of which involves bumping OR grinding. Jinjja Chingu (the shrimp place with the 2k 500cc drafts--best cheap place in Korea to drink btw) Bar Da, Strangefruit, Sims tapas, etc, the list could go on for a long time of really interesting out of the way places to hang out and have a completely civil good time.

Hongdae is a great place to be, and there's probably nothing else like it, in terms of quality, choice, variety and price in East Asia.

I live in Itaewon, it's cool, Seoul Pub and Wolfhound are great places to hang out, but going out there is nothing compared to Hongdae.

[DrugstoreCowgirl]

I like Itaewon much better than Hongdae! I love the diversity and the food and the foreign markets.

[steveinincheon]

I've always gotten the impression that Itaewon's bad rep is a carry-over from they days when it was a sleazy cesspool catering exclusively to the GIs. Even in the couple years I've been in Korea, it seems that Itaewon has gentrified a great deal, with newer and more modern sidewalks, less garbage, and more upscale restaurants opening. Still, many Koreans I work with here in Incheon have never been to Itaewon, because they are afraid they will get beaten up or robbed if they go.

[The Gipkik]

Itaewon and Hongdae are both decent places to spend a few hours. They're pretty benign compared to some other western ghettoes in Asia. Relatively speaking, they're also a lot less interesting. When I think of real Asian foreign ghettoes, I think of Khao San Road in Bangkok or Phang Ngu Lao in Vietnam.

[VanIslander]

[thurst]

itaewon is cool but there are a lot of creepy old people (of both sexes) and tranny bars...not really a fan of either, so i prefer hongdae.

[Trinidad]

[Captain Corea]

Day time is fine.

At night, I have no interest in the place.

[shostahoosier]

[Xuanzang]

[Oreovictim]

I hated Itaewon the first couple of times I went. Must have been early 2007. Now, I actually like it. I suppose it depends on where you go, really. The first time, I didn't even know about all the great foreign restaurants. Just went with some people to Geckos. Don't care for that place.

It's funny when you run in to a Korean who has lived in Seoul his whole life and they say, "Oh, Itaewon. I've never been to THAT place." To them, it's like some mysterious cesspool or something. It's a place where "slutty" Korean girls go to meet dirty foreigners. In actuality, it's where a lot of normal Korean girls go to relax. They can walk, holding hands with a foreigner without people staring. This is a given, but the most open-minded Korean women that I've met were around the Itaewon area.

[asams]