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Itaewon (; ) is a commercial district in
Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
, South Korea, known for its nightlife and multi-ethnic population.


Etymology

The name Itaewon was originally derived from the name of an inn located there during the
Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...
period. Today it's called Itaewon alluding to its abundance of pear trees (梨泰院). According to a folktale, the name was also written using different
Hanja Hanja (; ), alternatively spelled Hancha, are Chinese characters used to write the Korean language. After characters were introduced to Korea to write Literary Chinese, they were adapted to write Korean as early as the Gojoseon period. () ...
characters that alluded to foreign babies (異胎院). When the Japanese invaded Seoul (1592–1593) during the
Imjin War The Imjin War () was a series of two Japanese invasions of Korea: an initial invasion in 1592 also individually called the "Imjin War", a brief truce in 1596, and a second invasion in 1597 called the Chŏngyu War (). The conflict ended in 159 ...
, a group of Japanese soldiers seized a Buddhist temple in what is now Itaewon where Buddhist nuns lived. The soldiers stayed at the temple for a while and raped the Buddhist nuns. When the soldiers left they burned down the Buddhist temple. The raped Buddhist nuns now homeless settled nearby and eventually gave birth to children. People from neighboring villages named the area where the children were raised ''Itaewon'' in a
portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.
of terms meaning ''different'', ''foreign'' and ''fetus''. During the Imjin War this was also where wounded and surrendered Japanese soldiers (이타인/異他人) were allowed to live.


History

Itaewon was originally a transportation hub where travelers could get horses during the
Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean state founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korea, Korean Peninsula until the establishment of Joseon in 1392. Goryeo achieved what has b ...
period (918-1392). During the
Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...
period (1392–1910), Itaewon became more of a significant area as the new leaders relocated the country's capital to Hanyang – modern-day Seoul. As foreigners began to enter Korea in the 1880s, embassies and inns began to pop up in the region. Apart from Incheon, Itaewon became one of the most prominent spots for foreigners and travelers heading in and out of the capital city. Itaewon housed the city's largest cemetery until 1937. The recent history of the Itaewons district of Seoul's
Yongsan District Yongsan District (, ) is one of the 25 List of districts of Seoul, districts of Seoul, South Korea. It has a population of 231,685 (2020) and has a geographic area of , and is divided into 19 ''Dong (administrative division), dong'' (administrati ...
is closely linked to the US military base Yongsan Garrison established in 1945. With the large number of bars and brothels, the area has been coded as a dangerous place for many Koreans. Here, security was not just a local matter but sometimes blew up into national or geopolitical crises. Under this system, there was an absence of full legal accountability in the face of frequent abuses committed by American GIs. Criminal liability was limited in many cases where GIs would attack or abuse women living in the camp villages. The Status of Forces Agreement between the U.S. and South Korean government stipulated that all crimes committed by U.S. military personnel fell exclusively under the jurisdiction of U.S military courts. A National Assembly report from that time compiled a list of 39,542 crimes committed by U.S. military personnel between 1967 and 1987, including murders, rapes, theft, arson, and smuggling, which went largely unpunished. Twenty years after the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
(1950–53), Itaewon became a shopping district. The district gradually became
gentrified Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has been us ...
and, in 2013, the US military moved its base with 17,000 soldiers to southern Seoul. Itaewon also became something of a home for the LGBT movement and was considered to be as open to foreigners as it was to Koreans. However, while representative commercial buildings had been erected in Itaewon, the area's characteristic of narrow streets had remained.


Local attractions

As Seoul's International District, Itaewon is known for serving cuisine that are not widely available in Korea, such as those from
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. It is known as the "International District" or sometimes as "Western Town," reminiscent of many Chinatowns in Western nations. All That Jazz, the oldest active jazz club in South Korea, is located in Itaewon. Itaewon Books, the oldest English-language used secondhand bookstore, is also located in Itaewon. Itaewon, along with neighborhoods and attractions like Hongdae, Insadong and Seoul Tower, is one of the most popular places in Seoul for tourists. Itaewon includes the area known as Homo Hill and is Seoul's
gay village A gay village, also known as a gayborhood or gaybourhood, is a geographical area with generally recognized boundaries that is inhabited or frequented by many lesbian, gay, bisexuality, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. Gay vil ...
. Despite the taboo nature of homosexuality in South Korea, people can express themselves openly within the neighborhood. Itaewon is also a district with a strong Muslim community. It is home to the Seoul Central Mosque, built in 1976. Itaewon was long known as a hub for high quality counterfeit goods, but those products have largely disappeared. Some authentic goods that are only produced in Korea for the international market, as well as some authentic imports, are also available. Itaewon is known for its
tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...
s who produce custom-made shirts and suits. Gyeongnidan-gil is a street in Itaewon. It is in the middle of the Itaewon Elementary School () district. There are many international restaurants along the street.


Incidents


COVID-19 outbreak

During the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
Itaewon was a source of a major
disease cluster A disease cluster is an unusually large aggregation of a relatively uncommon disease (medical condition) or event within a particular geographical location or period. Recognition of a cluster depends on its size being greater than would be expecte ...
traced back from over 130 confirmed cases. South Korea's media began focusing on the neighborhood after public health authorities announced that a man who later tested positive for the coronavirus visited several establishments in the area on 2 May. Because of the outbreak in Itaweon,
homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exc ...
s have been stigmatized.


2022 crowd crush

On 29 October 2022, a crowd crush occurred during the 2022 Halloween festival. Over 150 people were confirmed dead and over 100 were injured. Of the confirmed dead, 26 were foreign nationals. The influx of visitors from all over the country as well as foreign nationals was potentially caused by the pandemic restrictions being lifted after two years. It is said that the hotels and events were booked well before the event showing that large crowds were expected.


In popular culture

Korean singer-songwriter JYP (
Park Jin-young Park Jin-young (; born December 13, 1971), also known by his stage names J. Y. Park and The Asiansoul or the initials JYP, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, record executive, and reality television show judge. Park rose to s ...
) and Yoo Se-yoon's hip hop duo UV released the song "Itaewon Freedom" in April 2011. The title alludes to (and the lyrics celebrate) a common Korean perception of Itaewon's "open atmosphere", in contrast with conventional Korean culture, which is more conservative. The popularity of the song and its music video inspired a parody cover song and video from the girl group
Crayon Pop Crayon Pop () is a South Korean girl group formed under Chrome Entertainment in 2012. The group consisted of four members: Geummi, Ellin, Choa, and Way. Their fifth member, Soyul, left the group in 2017. Crayon Pop officially debuted in July 20 ...
in 2013. Both videos were partially filmed on location in Itaewon. The 2020 South Korean Netflix television series '' Itaewon Class'' is set in Itaewon. The drama was praised for its diverse and inclusive cast and its realistic portrayal of subjects such as prejudice and discrimination against foreigners, ex-convicts and the
LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...
people, as well as the portrayal of misbehaviors by chaebol corporations. ''
Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps as ''TIME'') is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York Cit ...
'' included ''Itaewon Class'' on its list of "The 10 Best Korean Dramas to Watch on Netflix" and ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' included the series on its list of "The 13 Best Korean Dramas Of 2020". Visitors to Itaewon can visit the original DanBam pub now called SeoulBam, which features famous dishes from the show such as soft tofu stew and spicy stir-fried pork.


Transportation

It is served by Seoul Subway Line 6 via Itaewon, Noksapyeong and Hangangjin stations. * Itaewon StationSeoul Subway Line 6


See also

* Haebangchon *
Yongsan District Yongsan District (, ) is one of the 25 List of districts of Seoul, districts of Seoul, South Korea. It has a population of 231,685 (2020) and has a geographic area of , and is divided into 19 ''Dong (administrative division), dong'' (administrati ...
* Yongsan Garrison


Notes


External links


Official Seoul City Tourism :Itaewon
{{Authority control Neighborhoods of Yongsan District Ethnic enclaves in South Korea Shopping districts and streets in South Korea Multiculturalism in South Korea Tourist attractions in Seoul Entertainment districts in South Korea Diplomatic districts