korea :: seoul :: general

[sspook]

what are some good areas to go for shopping around seoul. someplace where i can walk around and waste time at? (girl friendly areas)

[grooveholmes]

what's up, sufooz. x-post from a thread i started. i figure i'll put a flyer out here in case there are some cats interested in helping out. i recently found out that a buddy of mine was once stationed in ul-jiro in the late 80s. he partied hard, played soccer in the streets, loved the people, loved the city, moved back to the states with the intent of returning. well, a wife and kid later, he's never been back. he also has nothing to show for it-- all his photos (print photos, before sd cards and memory sticks) and memorabilia was lost when the mississippi river flooded back in 1993.

my idea: i'd like to collect street/life photos of the uljiro area, near dongdaemun stadium. he mentioned being stationed near a hospital there? it would mean a lot to him, as it was probably one of the best times of his life before settling down. it would be a damn cool xmas gift.

if anyone has the time, throw me a message and we can work something out to compensate you for your time-- proxy, paypal, etc.

[ubersaladin]

Moms came by from New York and wants to go on a day trip somewhere, 1-2 hours away from Seoul, possibly near water w/ fresh seafood... Any recs?

Seoul is freezing btw...heat tech is on

The obvious answer is Busan by way of train

[thomas_highstreet]

what's up, sufooz. x-post from a thread i started. i figure i'll put a flyer out here in case there are some cats interested in helping out. i recently found out that a buddy of mine was once stationed in ul-jiro in the late 80s. he partied hard, played soccer in the streets, loved the people, loved the city, moved back to the states with the intent of returning. well, a wife and kid later, he's never been back. he also has nothing to show for it-- all his photos (print photos, before sd cards and memory sticks) and memorabilia was lost when the mississippi river flooded back in 1993.

my idea: i'd like to collect street/life photos of the uljiro area, near dongdaemun stadium. he mentioned being stationed near a hospital there? it would mean a lot to him, as it was probably one of the best times of his life before settling down. it would be a damn cool xmas gift.

if anyone has the time, throw me a message and we can work something out to compensate you for your time-- proxy, paypal, etc.

i get stuff made/by materials in euljiro fairly often, i'll take my camera next time i go.... i cant promise it by christmas though, but perhaps.

send me a PM with more detail. not spam this time.

[dismalfuture]

Things are gonna be a helluva lot different circa 2011 in Euljiro vs early '80's Euljiro, most things in Seoul beyond the antiquities and the main drag down from Gwanghwamun to City Hall (itself now unrecognizable) are beyond recognition if you are trying to reference even 15 years ago.

[keykoo]

This thread must live. LIVE DAMN YOU.

[4saken]

i have a question: planning to travel to seoul during seollal, planning to be there during the public holidays in hong kong, so from sunday 22nd to wednesday 25th.

going with my girlfriend so planning to mainly shop (mainly clothing, trinkets, whatever) and eat, will most places be open around the city? didn't get a straight answer out of the korean tourism hotline..

[natoah]

need a us proxy just for receiving package and shipping it to me in korea, any intro?

[ruach]

http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Showbiz/Story/A1Story20120210-327049.html

http://www.hancinema.net/seoul-fashion-week-now-in-private-hands-38591.html

The government's decision to abolish the 12-year-old Seoul Fashion Center came after three executives of the Seoul Business Agency, charged with embezzlement and sexual harassment, stepped down in November. Lawmakers during the regular audit last year said they were shocked to find so many corruption cases at the agency with particular regard to the fashion industry.

Oh boy..

[Leeacto]

I'm gonna be in Seoul from Mar 8 to 21st. Never been there outside of being born and flying solo.

I'd be down to meet up w/ any Sufuers. What are some touristy things I should def check out?

[Ahlvahroe]

Actually kissing clubs are where people pay (like 4 man won/30 min) to kiss girls / go second base...

one of my female friends was really curious as to what these places were, and she kept trying to get me to go cause 'who the hell would pay for kissing' but i could never bring myself to do it. it just seems all kinds of fucked up. like is it kissing then negotiate some extras or are you paying for just kissing, but that is stupid.

I hate to derail this important topic, but if you had hypothetically 3-5 man won to blow on a place per month, where would one hypothetically locate oneself? (If living somewhere cheap and blowing it all on hookers and soju wasn't an option)

I'm not so much asking for "guidance" -- just wondering

3-5 man? that's around $46 usd, if you mean 30-50 man, maybe something shitty in an undesirable area, like my last apartment, haha.

[raddy]

3-5 man? that's around $46 usd, if you mean 30-50 man, maybe something shitty in an undesirable area, like my last apartment, haha.

Yeah, I meant 3-5 baegman.

[dismalfuture]

http://www.asiaone.c...210-327049.html

http://www.hancinema...ands-38591.html

Oh boy..

That's crazy, but not unexpected I guess. I was working with SFC for a little bit, but found out I could do better on my own...

[saepnirg]

I'm heading down with my girl during the first week of may. it's our first times in seoul so we're probably just to do the usual touristy shit, and shopping (for her). can sufu seoul chime in on which area is best to stay at?

i'm currently looking at either Gangnam or Myeongdong, and the latter seems to be the spot for shopping (not for jawnz though). is the convenience of staying there worth the higher prices?

recs for either area (or anywhere else) would be appreciated.

[JDM]

myeongdong is pretty dead at night. after the stores close, not many people around. gangnam probably better. you can find some places at airbnb that normally wouldn't have hotels

[Leeacto]

I got back from Seoul 2 days ago.

If you're going w/ your girl, definitely hit up a jimjiabang. I went to Dragon Hill in Yongsan and enjoyed it. 12,000W for 12 hrs and it was really relaxing.

[fads]

for ur situation id just say stay at myeongdong.

n leeacto u paid way too much for jimjilbang man its good bc its cheap!

the corny stuff to do is visiting samcheong dong to eat the 'second best red bean soup in seoul.' theres a tea room called 'ga hwa dang' that i like.

[Leeacto]

Haha really? I guess i'll have to try other stuff next time.

$10usd is still pretty good, but not relative I guess.

[PREV]

Can anyone recommend a decent jimjiabang around Gangnam?

[saepnirg]

Can anyone recommend a decent jimjiabang around Gangnam?

would like to know as well. doesn't have to be in Gangnam.

so far i've found http://www.dragonhillspa.co.kr/japan/main01.htm

seems pretty good, any comments?

[jok52]

my favorite is "da hwa yul"

men only and quite pricey (22,000 won), but nice facilities/location (in non-hyun, near apku) and no kids running around...

http://www.saunaman.co.kr/

[Leeacto]

I went to Dragon hill when i was there. for 12,000W it was pretty good. but yes, there will be kids running around (mainly the game area). it's a rly big place. Price range of meals is from like 6,000 for ramen up to more expensive stuff.

I'd go again (if i lived in korea)

[ruach]

Managed to find a great apartment and will be arriving back in Seoul June 3rd. Really excited.

[kidkorea]

any good tailors in Seoul area? not looking to get a suit made or anything but for frequent clothing alterations.

[ruach]

Thought this would be of interest to some people. The Korean Film Archive set up a YouTube channel with tons of full films, most (if not all) of which have English subtitles. http://www.youtube.com/user/KoreanFilm

[yoh05]

any good tailors in Seoul area? not looking to get a suit made or anything but for frequent clothing alterations.

My favorite is han gil sa in cheong dam although most will think cheong dam is just overpriced snobfest compared to more traditional areas where tailors set up shop. It is a tailor suit place (not one of those franchise pseudo-custom made suit places) but they accept all alteration requests including re-knitting. They are honest enough to tell you if something cant be done or if your request will fuck up the overall fit. I prefer them compared to the more traditional joints because while they have the bespoke fundamentals they also understand the modern aesthetic. If its just hemming of trousers i'd go with laundarymat ajumma but i want my outerwears handled by someone who can make a mean suit.

Edited May 21, 2012 by yoh05

[kidkorea]

^thanks for the reply mate, will check them out.

[shima]

I'm off to Seoul this Monday, staying in Hongdae for three weeks. It's the first time I'm going to Korea after having studied the language for about a year, so really excited bout this.

I'm going to visit the most obvious and touristy places, some shopping as well (obviously) and got quite a big list of stores I'm planning to visit, such as Ann Dem and RO flagships and Mue, Null, Boon etc.

but if you know less known places to see, bars, restaurants and stuff to do, etc, please tell.

TLDR;

Could anyone summarize the best suggestions of places to visit and see etc?

Edited May 30, 2012 by shima

[chase]

Gangnam is the place to go. Gangnam means south of the river. Above the river, it is more old and run down.

Check out 10 Corso Como, lovely authentic italian food. Stay at Park Hyatt Seoul, man you dont wanna leave. And check out the Samsung Leeum Museum, filled with modern art. Check out the Rick Owens shop and the area around it.

[Leeacto]

Isn't there a CDG in Itaewon?