The lights turn on in the evening at central Seoul's multicultural Gyeongnidan neighborhood, Sept. 28, 2020. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Trendy hot spots with oddly similar names are popping up all over the nation. You have Yongnidan-gil in central Seoul's Sinyongsan area, Mangnidan-gil in western Seoul's Mangwon-dong and Songnidan-gil in southeastern Seoul's Songpa District, along with at least seven others bearing similar names. Across the nation, there are dozens more, ranging from Haengnidan-gil in Haenggung-dong in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, to Gaengnidan-gil at the Gaeksa area in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, and Haeridan-gil near Busan's Haeundae Beach.

All of these locations are being named after the original, Gyeongnidan-gil in a corner of central Seoul's multicultural Itaewon-dong. For whatever reason, the distinct characteristics of Gyeongnidan have led to, if not mimicry, then some kind of homage.

"It's an interesting headspace to be in," said Michael Hurt, an academic, "because Gyeongnidan was so famous as a 'foreign or exotic' space that the very idea of such a space became stamped with the suffix '-ridan-gil.'”

Many differences remain between Gyeongnidan and its imitators, numbering 42 in total on Namuwiki, a Korean wiki site.

Some of the foreign business owners active in Gyeongnidan admitted ignorance that their neighborhood was held up on such a pedestal. Their reactions to learning about the phenomenon ranged from bemused to mildly flattered.

"I wasn't aware of any of these areas before, and I'm guessing most other foreigners have never been or don't know about these areas, too," said Alan Saied, owner of Elves & Espresso, a game store, cafe and bar newly opened in Gyeongnidan. "Of course, I'm assuming none of these areas have a connection to the financial management (agency) Gyeongnidan was named after, so it is a bit meaningless — but it isn't hurting anyone."

As he points out, Gyeongnidan gets its name from an abbreviation of the Korean name for the Republic of Korea Armed Forces Financial Management Corps, which operates out of a large facility in the neighborhood. The military history of the area has shaped many aspects of its identity, from its lack of tall development to its international community.

A sign explains the name of central Seoul's Gyeongnidan neighborhood, April 25. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Other business owners in the area thought this branding convention could help raise the profile of their own area.

Bobby Kim, co-owner of Southside Parlor, a popular cocktail bar in the area, said it's a "fun way to show that a street is getting hot or trendy as the original Gyeongnidan."

"I never had an issue with the new streets using the suffix," he added.

Chuck Chun, owner of CALI Kitchen & Craft Pub as well as Pineapple Express, agreed that it helps brand an area as a good destination, and while he found it flattering, he also admitted it seemed a little cliche. "It's kind of cool to have your area recognized," he said, "but Korea has a copycat culture so it seems like it's a bit overdone now."

The popular brewpub CALI Kitchen is set to close down this weekend, and Chun's other business, Pineapple Express, will move its rice bowl business into the space from its current location in a small delivery kitchen.

Nobody had a clear answer on where these nicknames were coming from, but multiple respondents said they believed it's coming organically through social media activity, encouraged by influencers and businesses, rather than being rubber-stamped all over these neighborhoods by any government agency.

It's not too different from past conventions for nicknaming certain types of nightlife areas, such as by adding "Rodeo" to the name (think Apgujeong Rodeo Street or Cheonho-dong Rodeo Street) or "Texas" (i.e. Busan Texas Street or Seoul's Miari Texas). There's also Garosu-gil in Seoul's posh Gangnam District and its one imitator, Sharosu-gil.

While those names spread based on attributes such as nightlife, prostitution and shopping, respectively, what appears to be spreading this "-ridan-gil" naming phenomenon is simply social media users seeking out Instagrammable experiences at cafes, restaurants, bars and specialty shops.

So how do the imitators stack up to the original Gyeongnidan?

"I haven't been to them yet, but none of them seem especially popular or unique enough to warrant a visit," Saied said.

"Honestly, it's a mixed bag," said Chun, who's visited several.

He said he likes Yongnidan-gil and Mangnidan-gil because they have their own identities, but was less sold on the others, especially ones outside of Seoul.

"Other ones I've been to haven't been as noteworthy," he said. "I've seen several outside of Seoul that seem more forced and without a true identity."

Kim added that he has also been to a few of them. "They seem to be similar in a way that new trendy places seem to pop up," he said. "There is always a mix of a few new hip cafes, bars and restaurants that make it interesting to go visit. Unfortunately, the shops on the streets sometimes fall short of quality and individuality."

While none of these areas can completely replicate the vibe of Gyeongnidan, particularly its military and multicultural background, some of its other attributes can be observed among the characteristics of these other areas.

Graffiti on a pharmacy tells people to "do drugs" in central Seoul's multicultural Gyeongnidan neighborhood, Oct. 22, 2023. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

"Given what Gyeongnidan is or has become, to use a similar sounding name would only make sense if it gave special preference to both cafes and foreign-owned businesses," Saied suggested.

"One big aspect of Gyeongnidan-gil is the street itself," Chun added. "It is so unique because it is an uphill walk up to Mount Nam. It is not a place designed to bring your car, so most Koreans come by public transportation. This naturally eliminates overcrowding without much parking and two-way lanes."

He also said Gyeongnidan is closely linked with the main nightlife area of Itaewon, although it's more residential and less commercial.

"Even in the TV show 'Itaewon Class,' the main character starts his business by going to Gyeongnidan-gil," he said. "People see it as the less commercialized place where smaller businesses thrive."

Chun also pointed out that Gyeongnidan is ground zero for Korea's craft beer explosion which started blowing up early last decade. The area has hosted brewpubs and bottle shops such as Magpie Brewing, Craftworks (now replaced with Sauce) and Woori Super.

"These are historical spots in the craft beer scene," he said. "Also not as much now, but historically, the military presence here also shaped a lot of Western food options."

Gyeongnidan community's strength?

The sad irony behind this odd accolade for Gyeongnidan is that the area is hurting these days, and it's been struggling for years. The pandemic hasn't helped, but even before that, it was suffering the effects of gentrification, resulting in increasing property values, rising rent and decreasing occupancy of commercial spaces.

"Gyeongnidan has yet to make a comeback, and it doesn't look like things are looking too positive these days either," Kim said. "The whole Itaewon area needs more love to get back to where it used to be. It would also be nice if landowners were also more understanding of this and offer more affordable rent prices."

"Unfortunately, the area has died down quite a bit in the past few years, but at its height, it was an incredibly unique place to visit," Saied said. "As a whole, the past year has been disastrous for the area. The alleys have become much more vacant, the more popular shops have all moved and a bustling Saturday night is a rarity. Postpandemic it never achieved the same level of popularity it had pre-COVID. Three shops surrounding my store have closed in the past two months, which is fairly awful — even for Korea."

Reza Carr, owner of Sauce, said the area has lost too many tenants, both residents and businesses.

"The area has been gentrified, and with that comes a massive increase of rent, which in turn means that your run-of-the-mill schoolteacher can't afford the rent that they're asking now," he said.

Last year, Carr lost his earlier businesses in nearby Haebangchon, which were closed suddenly under unclear circumstances. Rumors swirl about which will be the next place to disappear, but Carr says business at Sauce is solid now, and he has a secure lease.

Coley mixes a drink behind the bar at Coley Bar in central Seoul's multicultural Gyeongnidan neighborhood, Nov. 27. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Coley, the owner of Coley Bar, shook off rumors recently that he faced a sharp rent increase. Saying it wasn't true, he added that the rumor's credibility shows underlying problems in the area.

"Recently, we have seen so many cases of rent increases pushing out small businesses in our area," he said. "Losing good businesses has definitely slowed down Gyeongnidan in recent years. Building owners will continue to struggle to find new tenants if they continue to push out good businesses."

Both Carr and Coley said the main thing holding Gyeongnidan together is the cooperation among community members, including business owners who support each other.

"I think what truly sets our neighborhood apart from other areas in Seoul is the family mentality we have experienced over the years with other establishments," Coley said. "Our neighborhood has some outstanding bar and restaurant options, all with very unique concepts. We are always proud to recommend our friends' establishments to our guests. Sharing business will always improve a guest's experience in the neighborhood and give our area the reputation it deserves."

"We help each other," Carr added. "We all are marketing for each other because we're marketing for this little neighborhood. And the more we do that, the more we bring people together, we all win."