Itaewon

Itaewon
Itaewon featuring Seoul Central Mosque
Korean name
Hangul	이태원동
Hanja	梨泰院洞
Revised Romanization	Itaewon-dong
McCune–Reischauer	It'aewŏn-dong

Itaewon (Korean: 이태원, 梨泰院, [itʰɛwʌn]) is a city district, in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It is served by Seoul Subway Line 6 via Itaewon, Noksapyeong and Hanganjin stations. About 22,000 people reside in the district and it is a popular area for residents of Seoul, tourists, and U.S. Military personnel in Korea. Mainly, points around Hamilton Hotel.

Local attractions

Many restaurants serving international dishes are found in this area including cuisine from India, The United States, Canada, Germany, Spain, Italy,England, France and Mexico, foods that are not widely available in Korea. Essentially, it's known as "Western Town"; reminiscent of many Chinatowns in many Western countries. Itaewon is also, along with Insadong and Seoul Tower, one of the most popular areas in Seoul for tourists. Major hotels such as The Grand Hyatt and local landmark The Hamilton Hotel can be found here as well as dozens of shops and services aimed at tourists. High quality leather products in Korea can be found here at reasonable prices (though haggling is expected) as well as various types of traditional Korean souvenirs. Counterfeit goods and clothing are ubiquitous and of varying quality, but some genuine goods which are produced in Korea for the international market as well as some authentic imports can sometimes be found here. Itaewon is also known to have various tailors that peddle their services for making custom-made suits. Aside from the tongue-in-cheek businesses that exist, there is a rich community of business owners, including a pie shop owner from the U.S.A. (Tartine), authentic American burgers, a wine bar, an Austrian delicatessen (with an array of cheeses and meats), a veterinarian/pet groomer with an excellent reputation, a chiropractor from Oregon, doctors and nurses who speak fluent English and helpful pharmacists and grocery shop owners. About 90% of all people working in and around Itaewon speak very good English.

Red Light District

There is a portion of Itaewon known as "Hooker Hill" among GI's of different allied nations stationed in South Korea. Although the stereotype of only American servicemen frequenting this area is well-known, men from all other countries, including Middle-Eastern and African, are known to frequent this area as well. Furthermore, because South Korea is not widely socially accepting of homosexuals, there is an underground gay area within this district as well.

See also

• Haebangchon
• List of Korea-related topics
• Yongsan-gu
• Yongsan Garrison

External links

• Official Seoul City Tourism :Itaewon
• Hooker Hill at kissmykimchi.com
• Hooker Hill on wikimapia