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| A restaurant that sells yeoljeong galbi (that could be translated as "passion ribs") in Namyeong-dong, Seoul. / Korea Times photo by Kim Ji-soo |
By Kim Ji-soo
Large-scale apartment redevelopment projects are fast changing Seoul's landscape. Towering concrete blocks stand in spaces once occupied by small businesses in two-story buildings. In that sense, visiting the neighborhood known as "Yeoljeongdo," or Passion Island, near the former USO building and Namyeong Station in northern Seoul, is like walking into another time zone.
Surrounded by 21st century high-rises, Yeoljeongdo has only small buildings that look like they might date back to the late 1970s or 1980s and fill a few of the Namyeong-dong streets. The stores' exteriors mostly exhibit a gritty version of Korea and seem to hark back to a time that only those over 50 may recall. Hearty Korean dishes are to be found on many of the menus here, like roast pork belly and kimchi stew.
The area has pork rib restaurants, bakeries with a building structure reminiscent of Korean snack shops frequently seen in the late 1970s.
The ambience is similar to that of the supermarket that was featured in the Oscar-winning film "Parasite" by director Bong Joon-ho.
On a recent Sunday, a film crew came to the Yeoljeongdo neighborhood to shoot a Netflix drama. The person controlling entry to the alleys said she could not give the title of the drama ― which will be aired in the United States ― but she said they chose the street because of the well-known arcade named "Com Com Arcade," which has a collection of classic games, such as Tetris.
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| An old-fashioned arcade featuring classic games such as Tetris. / Korea Times photo by Kim Rahn |
So with nostalgia constantly popular, the neighborhood was injected with creativity when several young aspiring entrepreneurs opened shops in the mid-2010s. Technically, Yeoljeongdo is just a few alleys facing The Prime, a residential/commercial building in Yongsan. Its main street is listed at Baekbeom-ro 87, with one street each side of the main strip. "Do" in Korean means island, and the three streets indeed form an island surrounded by a few existing old buildings and new high-rises.
Chung Je-hoon, 31, a manager of the coffee roaster shop COFFEETHEMAN, said that he sees a lot of young Koreans coming to the Yeoljeongdo area, while some foreigners were also patronsl.
Those partial to Instagram and photography have also been drawn to the nostalgic, retro feel of Yeoljeongdo.
Michael Hurt, a photographer and lecturer in cultural theory at the Korean National University of Arts, spoke to The Korea Times regarding places like Yeoljeongdo, saying, "These are the only places where one can still discern the old Korea. And it tracks well with new keywords and ideas that even young Koreans are into, like analog and retro."
The American who has been in Korea for a considerable time said, "I think many foreigners connect with elements of the old Korea, for many of the same reasons that young Koreans do."
