Itaewon, Seoul

Itaewon is a "must-see" place that is popular with travelers from around the world. Here you can encounter a wide variety of products as well as people. Besides the joy of shopping, Itaewon offers diverse kinds of food, from simple takeouts to serious dining. With dusk it turns into a center of entertainment.

Getting to Itaewon by subway is somewhat complicated. Take Subway Line 4 (Blue Line), get off at Samgakji Station, take exit 1, walk for about 50 meters, then turn right and continue to walk for another 50 meters up to the front gate of the Ministry of National Defense. Take Bus Nos. 23 or 81 and get off after two bus stops. For two or more travelers, catching a cab might be better.

My wife baby and I have been really enjoying fellowship in English in the christian - Church in Seoul. The meetings in the Church are in Itaewon. To find the church there is an english map on this web page
http://www.churchinseoul.net
Everyone in the church really loves Christ and have shown such love to us.
During the week we enjoy bible study and fellowship in christian homes nearby. I want to recommend and welcome all who want to enjoy and share Christ to join us.
Sunday service starts at 10:30am
For more information you can call me or my wife on: 010-6744 0184

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Itaewon is a kitchsy, touristy area of seoul. It is the international part of seoul since it is in proximity of yongsan garrison of the US Army. However, it is not a representative of seoul since it mostly caters to tourist and US Troops. The main street runs for 1.4 kilometers between the Itaewon Junction at the west end and the Hannam 2-dong ward office at the opposite eastern end. Off this main street lie a score of alleyways and underground arcades crammed with stores, eateries, nightclubs and bars . Itaewon is synonymous with entertainment and I mean Prostitution! (caveat: $ 200 up a night!).

For those wanting to splash out on gifts and the odd luxury an impressive array of jewelers, selling both local and imported products, are there ready and willing to bargain (but I recommend buying in Nam Dae Mun Market!). Many street vendors selling shirts, jackets, and caps also stay up late to cater to nocturnal shoppers. Most vendors speak some English and Japanese, and most will take Won, Dollars, or Yen for transactions. Most larger shops will take most credit cards as well.
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Itaewon is the one area in Seoul where it doesn't feel like Seoul. At any time during the day, you'll find a lot of foreigners in this area. Most foreigners who come to visit Seoul tend to stay near Itaewon. The U.S. military base is nearby and Itaewon is a great place to find clothes, hats, watches, etc. for cheap. Here, you'll see a lot of American restaurants like Subway or Outback steakhouse. You'll also find a lot of pubs and nightclubs.

Lots and lots of shopping to be done in Itaewon. Tons of shops devoted to knock-off designer purses. There are the high end knock-offs and the low-end. The cheaper ones are great for souveniers but you definately get what you pay for. Be prepared to pay $100 for the nicer ones, they're worth it though.

I liked Itaewon. I wanted to go there at first just becuase every korean i met told me ohhh its so dangrous don't go there. So i had to go and to me it's didn't seem bad at all. It's just a big tourist area but it had alot of good things. frist of all everyone there can speak english, you can buy alot of rip off products and backdoor products. also it's the only place in korea where you can see every diffrent race all at once. There are also alot of clubs and bars and dicos, it is one of the best night areas in seoul. But hey, thats just what i think check it out for your self

Itaewon is considered to be the foreigners area, since it is the host of the main American base in Seoul.

The street is very lively, full of all sorts of shops during the day, and a very busy night life after sunset.

The picture should speak better than any words.

This unique area is more widely known to foreign tourists than to Koreans. It contains about 1,900
stores and most of them sell clothing, leather goods, and antiques. This area covers a 1.4 kilometer-long street from It'aewon
Intersection to the west to It'aewon Hotel to the east. History tells that the vicinity has been closely related to the things and
people from foreign countries. Japanese forces were based here during the Korean-Japanese War (1592-1599) and the army of
Ching China was stationed here for some time in the late 19th century. Through the Japanese Occupation in the first half of the
20th century, it was used as the headquarters of the Japanese occupation forces. The command of the U.S. forces in Korea has
been in the same place for over 50 years since the independence of Korea. The It'aewon street originated from the complex of
suppliers for stationary troops. Shocking patterns-printed sweaters, leather clothes for motorcyclers, big size trousers and
footwear fitting Western men and women, and even the world-famous reproductions of the world-renown brand goods are the main
items that are often expected to be found at the stores in It'aewon. English, Japanese, and sometimes Chinese and Arabic as
well as Korean are spoken by sellers and shoppers here and there in this Special Tourism Area. The food town behind It'aewon
Police Box is famous among foreigners for its cheap Korean dishes, including pan-fried squash slices, sea food pancakes, mung
bean pancakes, and so on.

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Itaewon road is not too long to walk. There are a lot of copied brandname products for sale along the way.