most of us are in Busan or Seoul and we all hang out in Itaewon

[donovan]

How about foreigners who hate Itaewon because it's full of Koreans these days?

That'd be me!

That trend will most likely continue with the Yongsan army base closing shop and the soldiers going to Pyeongtaek. Itaewon will become more and more Koreanized.

[Mr.DeMartino]

How about foreigners who hate Itaewon because it's full of Koreans these days?

That'd be me!

How dare Koreans visit places in their own country.

[sligo]

How about foreigners who hate Itaewon because it's full of Koreans these days?

That'd be me!

How dare Koreans visit places in their own country.

And there it is, he just couldn't resist.

[Mr.DeMartino]

How about foreigners who hate Itaewon because it's full of Koreans these days?

That'd be me!

How dare Koreans visit places in their own country.

And there it is, he just couldn't resist.

If some Korean says "I hate Hongdae because it's full of foreigners these days", people here would flip out and declare them racist. Now either both are or neither is, but people need to be consistent.

Anyways, you're entitled to your opinion. But Korean people have every right to go wherever they want in their own country and they don't owe you anything or need your approval or permission and they can behave however they want there within the confines of the law.

[eggieguffer]

If some Korean says "I hate Hongdae because it's full of foreigners these days"

Depends on the context. If they said Hongdae used to have a lot of Korean style restaurants and a certain Korean vibe which changed when foreigners started going there, that'd be fair enough. Another example would be someone saying they don't go to a certain night club any more because it's too much of a sausage fest. Would that make them a misandrist?   

[AlivePoet]

How about foreigners who hate Itaewon because it's full of Koreans these days?

That'd be me!

How dare Koreans visit places in their own country.

And there it is, he just couldn't resist.

If some Korean says "I hate Hongdae because it's full of foreigners these days", people here would flip out and declare them racist. Now either both are or neither is, but people need to be consistent.

Anyways, you're entitled to your opinion. But Korean people have every right to go wherever they want in their own country and they don't owe you anything or need your approval or permission and they can behave however they want there within the confines of the law.

Personally I prefer getting bang for my buck when the ajeomma loads up the ketchup, mayo and soy sauce on my toast cheese. Foreign vendors might not even put mayo on in the first place. And kimchi on my late night kebab? Hello, health benefits. I honestly don't get why anyone would not want things to be more Koreanized in Itaewon. As for the Koreanized foreign restaurants putting prices up, everyone needs to make a living. Don't want to pay top dollar for Koreanized Greek food? Check out the new kimbab cheongkuk on the corner by Hamilton Hotel. That oh cheon won chamchi kimbab rules.

[sligo]

How about foreigners who hate Itaewon because it's full of Koreans these days?

That'd be me!

How dare Koreans visit places in their own country.

And there it is, he just couldn't resist.

If some Korean says "I hate Hongdae because it's full of foreigners these days", people here would flip out and declare them racist. Now either both are or neither is, but people need to be consistent.

Anyways, you're entitled to your opinion. But Korean people have every right to go wherever they want in their own country and they don't owe you anything or need your approval or permission and they can behave however they want there within the confines of the law.

I agree completely, but why do you feel YOU have to answer every comment with something like this?  It is always you, and the point never needs to be made, as it adds nothing to any discussion, but time and time again, you feel the need to add comments such as this one.  Get a hobby.

[Mr.DeMartino]

Personally I prefer getting bang for my buck when the ajeomma loads up the ketchup, mayo and soy sauce on my toast cheese. Foreign vendors might not even put mayo on in the first place. And kimchi on my late night kebab? Hello, health benefits. I honestly don't get why anyone would not want things to be more Koreanized in Itaewon. As for the Koreanized foreign restaurants putting prices up, everyone needs to make a living. Don't want to pay top dollar for Koreanized Greek food? Check out the new kimbab cheongkuk on the corner by Hamilton Hotel. That oh cheon won chamchi kimbab rules.

Your comment fails because Ankara Picnic is not serving kimchi kebabs and no one is going to Itaewon to visit some KimBap place. That's there for lunch for the locals that work in the area.

Those restaurants aren't yours and you don't own them. They owe you nothing and the owners can adjust the menu however they please.

Food prepared the way you like by other people is not something you are entitled to.

I agree completely, but why do you feel YOU have to answer every comment with something like this?  It is always you, and the point never needs to be made, as it adds nothing to any discussion, but time and time again, you feel the need to add comments such as this one.  Get a hobby.

Because I'm in front of a desk at work. I can't exactly brush up my golf game. And in between I'm learning stuff on the internets on wherever the days wikipedia rabbit hole leads.

I think it does add something to the discussion- points which others may not have considered. It clearly does need to be made because obviously some people haven't considered it.

Why does it bother you so much? What do you care?

[AlivePoet]

I've had kimchi on a late night kebab from a street truck vendor in Itaewon before. It honestly wasn't bad.

Why so angry? 

[Titus Groan]

  Well, I've only just joined this board and I must admit I did not expect to pop up on DeMartino's radar and/or draw his ire quite so soon; it must be a very slow day for him (it?) to leap on such an innocuous response to a simply asked question.

  As someone who has been in Korea for some time and remembers Itaewon when it really was THE preferred 'three D' (Dirty, Dangerous, and Desperate) den of sin and iniquity for all manner of malcontents, and 'respectable' Koreans avoided it like the plague.  Now, as I  witness the 'new & improved' model, I must admit experiencing some nostalgic pangs for those halcyon days of yore.

 Itaewon has been turning into the ersatz (read 'safe') 'foreigner experience the 'respectable' Kangnam crowd and their ilk wanted for some time now: the demise of the Seoul Pub (Satan's playground that it was...)  was the final nail in coffin of that  rollicking era, and the area, with its price-gouging rents and 'you're-******-joking' prices is now - basically - cleansed!

  Well - and this may come as a surprise to ol' Martini there - but SOME OF US LIKED ITAEWON BEFORE THE 'MAKE IT SAFE AND PRESENTABLE' CROWD': not everything, to be sure - there were places even stalwart sorts like my friends and I would not venture into (a least un-vaccinated...) - but overall it was a slice of real life that only an urban entrepot peopled and habituated by an international band of daring souls and adventurous locals could be!

  To me, Mr Martini is like a dog that is always barking: for the first while the noise is as annoying as hell, but gradually, over time, as you become inured to it it ceases to be so and eventually fades away - first into the distant background, then it simply doesn't register at all.
 
Mr Martini seems to view this site as his domain - to continue the dog comparison - as his turf, to be jealously guarded against ALL interlopers (no matter how non-threatening); he is the embodiment of The Dog in The Manger... and like that dog, will continue to bark away at all and nothing...and, like that dog, he is easily ignored!

[CO2]

  Well, I've only just joined this board...........

I like you.

[hangook77]

Yeah, when I first got here, this site wasn't around.  All the cool kids were on Dave's.  But back then, you might as well have called it Seoul ESL Cafe.  Everyone was in Seoul and talked about where to go in Seoul.  If you were in the rest of the country and asked a question about any other place, all you would hear were crickets and absolute silence.  Up until the Great Recession flooded the country, it seemed hardly anyone lived in the rest of the country.  Mostly it was about Seoul and occasionally Busan.  Also, Koreans never traveled on weekends or went anywhere so things were slim pickings for cool things to see.  Now, the roads are packed, but there's cool things to see and places to visit all around the country. 

[leaponover]

Two things I didn't want coming to Korea:

#1.  I didn't want to teach Middle School.  I would have been out of here in a year (going on 7 now) If I had to teach middle school first.

#2.  I didn't want to live in Seoul.  Too crowded, I don't like people that much to begin with and I especially don't like Westerner's in Korea.  If I didn't have a cushy life here I'd probably go to jail every time I visited Itaewon.

[eggieguffer]

I especially don't like Westerner's in Korea.

They speak very highly of you.

[hangook77]

  Well, I've only just joined this board and I must admit I did not expect to pop up on DeMartino's radar and/or draw his ire quite so soon; it must be a very slow day for him (it?) to leap on such an innocuous response to a simply asked question.

  As someone who has been in Korea for some time and remembers Itaewon when it really was THE preferred 'three D' (Dirty, Dangerous, and Desperate) den of sin and iniquity for all manner of malcontents, and 'respectable' Koreans avoided it like the plague.  Now, as I  witness the 'new & improved' model, I must admit experiencing some nostalgic pangs for those halcyon days of yore.

 Itaewon has been turning into the ersatz (read 'safe') 'foreigner experience the 'respectable' Kangnam crowd and their ilk wanted for some time now: the demise of the Seoul Pub (Satan's playground that it was...)  was the final nail in coffin of that  rollicking era, and the area, with its price-gouging rents and 'you're-******-joking' prices is now - basically - cleansed!

  Well - and this may come as a surprise to ol' Martini there - but SOME OF US LIKED ITAEWON BEFORE THE 'MAKE IT SAFE AND PRESENTABLE' CROWD': not everything, to be sure - there were places even stalwart sorts like my friends and I would not venture into (a least un-vaccinated...) - but overall it was a slice of real life that only an urban entrepot peopled and habituated by an international band of daring souls and adventurous locals could be!

  To me, Mr Martini is like a dog that is always barking: for the first while the noise is as annoying as hell, but gradually, over time, as you become inured to it it ceases to be so and eventually fades away - first into the distant background, then it simply doesn't register at all.
 
Mr Martini seems to view this site as his domain - to continue the dog comparison - as his turf, to be jealously guarded against ALL interlopers (no matter how non-threatening); he is the embodiment of The Dog in The Manger... and like that dog, will continue to bark away at all and nothing...and, like that dog, he is easily ignored!

You know it really isn't Itaewon when the hookers are all gone.  I never visited places there except to get food and eat then leave.  But, sometimes, women from inside bars would shout come in.  Some were very well dressed coming up to me in the street in the afternoon even trying to strike up a conversation with me inviting me to go with them, though I was usually in a hurry to grab my stuff and leave.  I did occasionally walk up the side hill just to see how many doors would open inviting me inside too.  I never did it (though a side of me wishes I tried it once just to say I did).  Anyways, it was pretty filled with hookers.  Some obvious and some not so obvious.  Many younger 20 somethings and many milfs too. 

Anyways, I was back last winter and all those type of bars on the foreign food mart road have become tranny bars.  I walked up the side street and there were only a few places remaining and maybe one or two fugly chicks asking me to come inside.  I didn't when they were pretty.  I sure wasn't going to in the present.  Even on that road a couple of them were taken over by tranny booths.  I would eat, walk up the road, or occasionally grab a drink and get approached more subtly.  Last time was nothing.  I would have said it was nice not having to brush them off.  But, I already feel some nostalgia and wish I tried it once or twice just to say I did. 

It really was not the same.  What is left will be gone when the US base is gone I assume.  I hope they don't take the open base land and build some boring apartments and some more Olive Youngs.  But, that's probably what they will do.  Even WHAT THE BOOK has been priced out.  Now they are a shell of their former self.  That base land would make a nice park like Central Park in New York is they let it be.  But, I doubt it.  About the only thing left for now is the HBC area.  (Is that the area of winding hilly roads behind Itaewon and going up towards Namsan?)  I was there on the other side - a smaller section near the army base (also HBC) visiting a friend.  I was quite amazed.  Some really nice looking western women.  (Might have to date my own kind for a change instead of Korean.)  I am guessing though that that area will also be priced out once the Koreans have finished ruining the rest of Itaewon? 

Ten years from now, it'll be a pile of crap with nothing there and no character.  Not sure if the area near the new US base would be interesting.  It probably will be sterile and filled with Olive Youngs and Tom N Toms with a few bars filled with Filipino chicks.  The times they are a changin'.  So many parts of Korea I feel nostalgia for from 10 years ago.  Even out in the provinces, it's becoming too modern. 

[tomoakleaf]

stopped reading at 'vegetarian"

I lived in a rural area for 4 years. Busan was closer.
Whenever I went to Seoul, I always went to Itaewon. I have
been doing this since I used to live and work in Yongin. The main
reasons why I went to Itaewon was:

1) Haircuts: I never trusted Korean barbers to cut my hair
so I go to Itaewon where there are people who can deal
with my kind of hair.

2) Diversity: There is nothing that connects me with people from
around the world better than when you see people who are of
diverse cultures mixing in with the dominant Korean culture.

3) Food: All the delicious tasting food is there in varieties.
(Forget about KFC or Burger King). I am talking foods like
Turkish Kebabs, Thai Food, and Middle Eastern food etc.
But since I became a vegetarian during my last days in Korea,
I still went to Itaewon to find vegetarian foods anyway because
there are restaurants such as the Thai restaurant that are vegetarian
friendly. There is even a vegan restaurant that was recently opened
in Itaewon.

4) Clothing: Whenever I needed to buy larger size clothes that were
not available for me at the local E-Mart, I would go to Itaewon to buy
clothes and shoes that would fit me right. I even went there to
tailor two suits, (but most of my suits were tailored for a cheaper
price when I went to Thailand).

5) Thai Massage: I used to go to Itaewon to get a Thai oil massage
from this one place in Itaewon. The service I got was great and I
cannot forget these discounts I used to get. I used to go there to
get Thai massages until they opened up a new one in the local
town where I used to live. However they opened it during the
last 2 months I was in Korea and their rates were more expensive
than the Thai massage salon in Itaewon.

6) Night Life: I do have an appreciation for night life where I can
go and let it all hang down. I used to hang out at a bar called the
Goldfish Bar. They changed it into a lounge. It was sad for me to know
that a young Filipina named Loverly does not sing there anymore. Her voice
used to draw me there. I didn't want too much loud night life, but I did
enjoy my times at Hellios.

So yes, most times a lot of foreign language teachers do hang out in
Itaewon no matter where in Korea they live. They can live as far away as
Jindo or Mokpo and still make it to Seoul to hang out in Itaewon knowing
the fact that Korea has the best public transportation systems in the
world (unlike where I am currently living where I have to drive everywhere),
plus South Korea is a small country in size. I wish I could have all this fun
again every Saturday night because I cannot get this kind of fun in deep
rural Canada as I did when I was in Itaewon. Not to mention how the winters
in Seoul are not so brutally cold. As for lodging......I still had the option to
spend my cheap nights lodging at one of the two jimjibangs in Itaewon.

[kea.kate]

Interesting....I enjoy Itaewon because it has Korea people too and is more my age range. I wasn't in Korea when it was all foreigners so I can't compare, but I really like it now! Also definitely depends on which places you're going to.

I don't think there's anything really wrong with wanting to hang out with other foreigners who speak English and stuff. But the main reason I came to Korea was to be around Koreans, experience the culture, hopefully learn the language, and maybe sometimes do my job haha (jk I work hard)! I like having a good mix around Itaewon whenever I go there ^^

[Mr.DeMartino]

Guys, Whatthebook is gone because of the internet, not simply Itaewon whatever.

[eggieguffer]

Guys, Whatthebook is gone because of the internet, not simply Itaewon whatever.

It's not gone, it's moved.

https://www.whatthebook.com/visit.html