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dessukyampu

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If you do a search, you'll see that this discussion has come up in the past, with a few suggestions. I quite like the Insadong area. If you can pick up the latest issue of bilingual (Japanese and English) art magazine ART iT, you'll find a cover story on the Korean art scene, as well as a guide to galleries, cafes, and art/design related shops.

Jean Snow

http://jeansnow.net

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  • 2 weeks later...

ditto to jean.

myeongdong is the hub of seoul street fashion, though not much cutting edge stuff, a bit samey. on it's fringe are a few great import only mag stores (esp for jap design mags).

dongdameun's apm, migliore & doota are always fun to have a quick browse and edae (ewha women's uni area) has an interesting maze of stores. hongdae's worth a peek too.

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welcome back! hehe. there have been several good posts on seoul here, but the quick breakdown...

insa / angkuk / samchung - basically the area for traditional arts / crafts. quite a few strong modern art galleries as well (art sonje, pkm gallery, kukje gallery, etc.)

apgujeong / chungdam - the scene for luxury brands, pricey restaurants and lots of fashionista bars and cafes. check out boon the shop (http://www.boontheshop.com) and MUE, two premium multi-shops that have been getting a lot of foreign press.

myungdong / gangnam - mass market retail areas, featuring most domestic brands and endless rows of shops.

dongdaemun - a chaotic grouping of supercheap direct-from-factory retailers, frequented by youth (think of a less cool 109 in tokyo).

hongdae - short for hongik university, the main art school in seoul. this is the base for korea's indie music scene, clubs, small concert halls, bars, and cafes.

more than other urban centers, seoul is really about local knowledge. find a friend who really knows a particular area to guide you and you'll get a lot more out of the experience. happy hunting!

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http://www.artit.jp/

should be available in kyobo gwanghwamun.

in Insadong, SSamziegil, the new bldg opposite Insa Art Space has a good gallery in the basement, excellent restaurants B1 & on top floor and a SEIZY green tea spot on 2F.

also worth looking at are EARTH (formerly known as DO SHOP) for a selection of hard to find imported design products (eg 10 swedish designers, JOHN MAEDA dvds, MARC NEWSON bike), above it DO ART gallery, next door... on 3F & 4F INSA ART SPACE and around the corner down a lane, SARUBIA alternative space gallery (B1). all the galleries are listed on www.neolook.com (mainly in KOR, some English).

near Insadong, in samcheong dong there are a few great espresso places, like

BENE (on the way to Art Sonje, great panini, superb service, UK Guradian sometimes)

the tiny TOGO Cafe (turn right at Art Sonje) with a few nice eames pieces

killer patbingsu's (green tea, wine, coffee) at Kukje Gallery

Edited by hongdae on Jan 9, 2005 at 06:36 PM

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there's definitely an indie rock scene out here... obviously it's not huge, but there are dedicated venues (ssamzie space, etc.) and dedicated labels. check out julia heart, cocore, asoto union...

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thanks for all the replies.

im a korean american and theres a new law in korea saying that if i set foot in that country i will more than likely be shipped off to the military because my parents used to have a korean citizenship EVEN though i am an american citizen.

were trying to get all the paperwork done so this shit wont happen.

its a PAIN IN THE ASS

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there is very little logic when it comes to this country [korea] - so i don't understand the whole situation - i don't get why you would have to go if you are "american" - i don't get what it says about anything - i just don't get any of it - sorry you have to deal with that kind of bull crap nonsense. japan is probably more fun to hang out in anyways - take note on some cool spots 'cus i'm gonna be trekkin out there in march~! woo~!

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yeah, most of us have run into this problem at one point or another. the deal is...

if you're a US citizen but you were born in korea, you are probably still listed on your korean family register. if this is the case, you need to delete yourself from the register to avoid immigration / military service annoyances. however, this is only really a problem if you are earning money in korea (over 10K per year).

if you're just here to visit, there should be NO problems whatsoever. it's not like they draft US citizens into the korean army at will. in recent years, there have been quite a few steps taken to make life for expats easier.

every country has its share of bureaucracy... don't be too discouraged :)

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are you telling me that i'll still be able to visit the country if my parents delete their family registry?

interesting..ill have to ask them about this.

i have no connection to a korean citizenship other than that my parents used to have one.

they got their american citizenship 3 months after i was born

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  • 8 months later...

formerly dessu..

anyways thanks for the info alijones. i had no clue about that.

but yeah i went to korea and back fine this summer.

was a little sketch leaving korea at incheon airport, they were looking at my info and passport for about ten minutes.

in terms of shopping, tokyo is the place to be.

though seoul has some decent places, it was pretty much nothing compared to japan which i went to right after korea.

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  • 1 month later...

Super shoppers in Seoul,

Has anyone ever been to NUZZON in Tongdaemun? I've been going to Doota forever (Doota is the bomb), but I heard things are way cheaper in Nuzzon and that they have a vintage clothing section on the third floor.

The bummer is it's only open after 8 pm.

Just wondering.

Carrie

Here's some other shopping tips for clothes.

[url="http://www.seoulstyle.com"]<a href="http://www.seoulstyle.com" target="_blank">http://www.seoulstyle.com/fashart_topshops.htm</a>

http://www.seoulstyle.com

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funny i posted this months ago(previous user id) before i went to korea.

doota sucks so does aPM,and migliore.cheaply made clothes knockoffs of anything you can imagine. so does the rest of dongdaemun in terms of shopping.

stayed in japan for a week after korea, and can say theres no comparison even though korea will always be my first home.

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The quality at Doota has gotten better. You'd be surprised. Ever since they opened the Cheonggyecheon stream, many areas have experienced a renaissance.

Anyway, Doota and all those other places are definetly for people who like to dig for clothes and not for people who don't have imagination. If one doesn't have a stylist's instinct, one can walk out of a place like Doota looking ridiculous.

There is alot of treasure hidden in the trash. But yes, market shopping isn't for everyone, and there isn't always good stuff to buy either.

I haven't been to Japan yet for shopping. I'd love to go, but I'm sure I'll hate the high prices.

Any shopping suggestions for Japan?

Carrie

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Korea is really good for cheap clothes which you have never heard of the brand. Dongdaemun is the mecca for this type of shopping. Some are knockoffs but why would you want a Dior purse for $50.00 anyway? You can get that if you want but the real treasure is in the non-label stuff. Many of these clothes are made by local designers and textile factories. I still remember a pair of dress shoes which I really liked at doota and did not buy, I sorely regret it now. I have never seen anything similar in the states. So many clothes in DDM is limited by fact of nature (they are made in some rinky factory, once they finish this months shirts they tool up for something else) where as in Japan its limited just to be limited. In korea you really have to make your own style.

Japan is definitely geared towards really young kids with a huge bankroll. I mean they invented the $90 printed t shirt right? I don't hate on this type of shopping, I myself bought a $200 jacket at Atmos in Harajuku, but I would definitely rather spend $200 at doota.

Edited by Tarmac on Nov 20, 2005 at 06:37 PM

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  • 4 months later...

if you are shopping at dongdawmoon, i suggest you read everything on the shirt.

i got bunch of shirts that i liked and when i came home and read what it said, it was all jibberish.

oh, don't forget to bargain.

if they ask for 10,000 won, ask to pay 5,000 won. chances are, they will give it to you for that, if not, there are 10,000 other stores selling the same thing.

if you are into music and crafty stuff, go to hongdae.

i think last friday of each month they have this thing where you pay 15,000 won (about $15) that will get you into all clubs and drinks for free. i think that's the only part of korea where you will see kids with dyed hair, piercings, and tattoos.

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