Hongdae

I visited a section of Seoul called "Hongdae" last night and had a great time. I went with one of our English team freelancers, Sarah, who is a Korean American from Hawaii. She has been in Korea for three years and has been freelancing for KBS for over a year.

Hongdae is a very vibrant, bright, and busy place with an eclectic mix of shops, restaurants, bars, and street markets. It draws a young crowd, many of them students at Hongik University, and is well-known for its independent music scene. Since it has a campustown-like feel, you can find cheap food of almost any ethnic variety. Like Itaewon, it has a reputation for drawing foreign tourists and expats, but the overall feel is less "western". For instance, I had a difficult time communicating with shop clerks in English . . . something that is very easy to do in Itaewon.





Sarah, preparing our meal. This is a very popular Korean-style barbecue pork, called "samgyeopsal". Every table has its own grill where you prepare your own food, adding an assortment of vegetables and spices. It's delicious!