Fascinating, I can see the history. My late father-on-law's sister, shortly after the war, opened a tea shop - "Paris Tea Room, 파리 다방" right at the front gate of Ewha. Her hope, and it did work out that way, was that this would be a place for artists and writers etc to hang out.
Nice video. I have an office-tel in Seokyodong as I have been going to Korea yearly since 1987 and wanted some place to call home. I returned to a new Red Road last week and I can see from your video it was recently under construction. For the young people, the bars closer to Sangsu station are hopping on weekends and for older people like me the bars closer to Hongdae’s front gate are more foreigner friendly as they they don’t require you buy anju to have a beer and play darts or watch people.
I've lived in Seoul for 13 years. I know all the streets. It feels like a small town even though it is a huge city. I remember when I first moved to Korea, Seoul seemed so huge and endless. I used to live in Manhattan, and I remember NYC seemed so big, but after a year, you know all the places.
I still recall first crossing the Banpo Bridge on a bus from Osan Air Base. I'd flown in on a plane chartered by the Army as part of an ongoing mass replacement after the Gulf War, when all the soldiers in Korea had been frozen in place under the "Stop Loss" policy. I missed most of the scenery on the way up because they had us doing paperwork on the bus. As we came into the city, I didn't get a sense of its size until we hit the bridge. I think it's safe to say it's one of the few moments in my life when my jaw literally dropped.
Hey Mike great history lesson and tour of Hongdae! It’s the neighbourhood that I fell in love with Korea when I came here my first time as a tourist in 2012, and I had no idea that the history of it went so far back! I think the “Red Road” area from Sangsu Station to Hongdae Station changed from a parking lot into a plaza area within the last few years or so from what I remember, but it’s a lot better now eh! You have an amazing memory to remember what it looked like in the 90s/early 00s too! Thanks a lot for the video, and looking forward to more in the future!
Thanks, Matt! I wish my memory were that good. The parking lots I remember clearly because they were pretty much the boundary markers. Other than that, there are a lot of pieces and fragments in which I had varying degrees of confidence. So to prep for this one, I spent a little bit of time with Google and especially Naver to fill in the gaps. It's pretty cool what you can find out there in the Korean blogosphere and newspapers. The old Street View images are a valuable resource, too. That helped strengthen my confidence in many of the bits I do remember.
I used to go to Drug in the 90s. I was in high school on base. Yongsan. My friends used to play at drug on weekends. Crying nut was the local favorite band. I understand they (crying nut, not my friends) became quite famous after. Last time I saw them was in a 포차 tent outside the 이촌 subway exit in maybe 99. Got very very drunk. Fast forward to 2021 maybe when I realized that an old song of theirs was being used in a 노래방 scene in a Korean drama I was watching. I also hung out in itaewon back then. Polly’s kettle usually. Your strolls take me back!
Great story! Thanks for sharing it. Cryning Nut is one of the most well-known of the Hongdae bands that made it. Another is No Brain. You might find this interesting: www.platform-magazine.com/music/a-brief-history-of-korean-punk
Mike, I really enjoy your videos. I was stationed in Tongduchon and Uijongbu from 2000-2002. It's crazy how much has changed. Thanks for sharing your stories.
Thank you! The last time I went up to TDC, I was gobsmacked by how different it is. And that was a few years ago. I need to get back up there and do a walkthrough.
A singer from decades ago, 서유석, wrote a song in the early 70s that starts out "In front of the school there's one book store and 20 clothing shops...". I looked for a link to it, but can't find it, possibly because it was banned. I guess he still performs; don't know if you're familiar with him - sort of a cross between Pete Seeger and Harry Belafonte. I met him a couple of times, very nice guy, and he had a couple of my Peace Corps buddies, Gary Rector, George Klales, couple of others - on a TV performance with him.
Thanks for the pointer..I recognize the singer, but not the song. I'll see if anyone I know is familiar with it. If my wife doesn't know it, I expect one of her aunts will.
Hi Mike, parts of Hongdae made it my least favourite place to visit last year, but just listening to the history lesson has made me want to give it another chance when I come back in May, it’s also nice listening to the different type of music that accompany your vlogs, great vlog as always
I tripped around that area 90~94 and recently visited again with my two daughters. A lot is different now, but it's all cool even though so much is new.
Awesome video, Mike!! Your music choice is always top notch! Loved everything you showed us and all of the history behind it. THANK YOU!! What exactly are the benefits of a tourist area designation? I think I heard that you can purchase things in shops tax free in the area, but I wonder if there are other benefits. Does it mean the area cannot be torn down because it is a cultural zone?
Thanks, as always! As far as I understand it, the STZ designation has more to do with allowing government funding for developing tourist facilities in an area, promoting tourist facing business development, that sort of thing, than with any direct benefit to the tourists. There are Duty Free shops all around the city, and you should be able to get a tax refund from most purchases you make here as a tourist. My attempts at digging up a detailed list of actual benefits have come up empty so far.
@@MikeFromKorea Makes sense! Thank you for answering my question. I am happy to see Seoul being PRO-ACTIVE about their tourism hopefully they are also considering some overcrowding measures and more live data concerning crowd levels (Naver has been super helpful in that regard). Would be interested to see how all of that develops!
I prefer today by far. I mean, I can look back on the past and smile at the way things used to be, and I actually do miss some of it to some degree. But in terms of quality of life, it's just much better today in more ways than I could enumerate.
No, sorry. I didn't spend as much time in Hongdae as I did elsewhere. I couldn't tell you the names of any clubs that were around back then other than Drug.
@@MikeFromKorea I used to follow his vlogs back in 2000s and he was one of the reasons i eventually visited, he has thousands of videos from around 04-11
Fascinating, I can see the history. My late father-on-law's sister, shortly after the war, opened a tea shop - "Paris Tea Room, 파리 다방" right at the front gate of Ewha. Her hope, and it did work out that way, was that this would be a place for artists and writers etc to hang out.
Nice video. I have an office-tel in Seokyodong as I have been going to Korea yearly since 1987 and wanted some place to call home. I returned to a new Red Road last week and I can see from your video it was recently under construction. For the young people, the bars closer to Sangsu station are hopping on weekends and for older people like me the bars closer to Hongdae’s front gate are more foreigner friendly as they they don’t require you buy anju to have a beer and play darts or watch people.
Thanks for the insight. Hongdae is so unrecognizable now from what I used to know.
I've lived in Seoul for 13 years. I know all the streets. It feels like a small town even though it is a huge city. I remember when I first moved to Korea, Seoul seemed so huge and endless. I used to live in Manhattan, and I remember NYC seemed so big, but after a year, you know all the places.
I still recall first crossing the Banpo Bridge on a bus from Osan Air Base. I'd flown in on a plane chartered by the Army as part of an ongoing mass replacement after the Gulf War, when all the soldiers in Korea had been frozen in place under the "Stop Loss" policy. I missed most of the scenery on the way up because they had us doing paperwork on the bus. As we came into the city, I didn't get a sense of its size until we hit the bridge. I think it's safe to say it's one of the few moments in my life when my jaw literally dropped.
@MikeFromKorea Wow, that is a cool story.
Been to Hongdae a few times and never knew...almost anything in this video. Great stuff as usual.
Thank you! I'm happy you got something new out of it.
Hey Mike great history lesson and tour of Hongdae! It’s the neighbourhood that I fell in love with Korea when I came here my first time as a tourist in 2012, and I had no idea that the history of it went so far back! I think the “Red Road” area from Sangsu Station to Hongdae Station changed from a parking lot into a plaza area within the last few years or so from what I remember, but it’s a lot better now eh! You have an amazing memory to remember what it looked like in the 90s/early 00s too! Thanks a lot for the video, and looking forward to more in the future!
Thanks, Matt! I wish my memory were that good. The parking lots I remember clearly because they were pretty much the boundary markers. Other than that, there are a lot of pieces and fragments in which I had varying degrees of confidence. So to prep for this one, I spent a little bit of time with Google and especially Naver to fill in the gaps. It's pretty cool what you can find out there in the Korean blogosphere and newspapers. The old Street View images are a valuable resource, too. That helped strengthen my confidence in many of the bits I do remember.
@@MikeFromKorea oh that's great! Yeah it's fun to go through the street view sometimes and watch how drastically things change!
I used to go to Drug in the 90s. I was in high school on base. Yongsan. My friends used to play at drug on weekends. Crying nut was the local favorite band. I understand they (crying nut, not my friends) became quite famous after. Last time I saw them was in a 포차 tent outside the 이촌 subway exit in maybe 99. Got very very drunk. Fast forward to 2021 maybe when I realized that an old song of theirs was being used in a 노래방 scene in a Korean drama I was watching. I also hung out in itaewon back then. Polly’s kettle usually. Your strolls take me back!
You got to see Crying Nut live? I'm jealous ~
Great story! Thanks for sharing it. Cryning Nut is one of the most well-known of the Hongdae bands that made it. Another is No Brain. You might find this interesting: www.platform-magazine.com/music/a-brief-history-of-korean-punk
@@MikeFromKorea wow I forgot about no brain! Thanks for the article!
Mike, I really enjoy your videos. I was stationed in Tongduchon and Uijongbu from 2000-2002. It's crazy how much has changed. Thanks for sharing your stories.
Thank you! The last time I went up to TDC, I was gobsmacked by how different it is. And that was a few years ago. I need to get back up there and do a walkthrough.
@@MikeFromKorea That would be awesome
Another awesome video, Mike! I love the pace and information and the music choices were great! Keep them coming! ❤👍
Thank you!
Once again, found this stroll informative and enjoyable. Thank you!
Thanks for letting me know :-)
appreciate the background stories of every place you visit 👍.. will remember gate8 for that sumptuos gyeran ppang🤗
Thank you! I hope you like it :-)
Thanks for the tour. I could recognize some of the places from our walks thru Hong Dae when we were there within last few years.
Cool! I'm always happier than I should be when I recognize locations in TH-cam videos set in cities I've visited.
A singer from decades ago, 서유석, wrote a song in the early 70s that starts out "In front of the school there's one book store and 20 clothing shops...". I looked for a link to it, but can't find it, possibly because it was banned. I guess he still performs; don't know if you're familiar with him - sort of a cross between Pete Seeger and Harry Belafonte. I met him a couple of times, very nice guy, and he had a couple of my Peace Corps buddies, Gary Rector, George Klales, couple of others - on a TV performance with him.
Thanks for the pointer..I recognize the singer, but not the song. I'll see if anyone I know is familiar with it. If my wife doesn't know it, I expect one of her aunts will.
Really enjoying your videos. I lived in Seoul some time ago and find them really interesting, nostalgic, and calming too.
Thank you!
Really great that you acquired the history of the city and university, so on. Great stuff. Please keep more contents coming!
Thank you!
Hi Mike, parts of Hongdae made it my least favourite place to visit last year, but just listening to the history lesson has made me want to give it another chance when I come back in May, it’s also nice listening to the different type of music that accompany your vlogs, great vlog as always
Thank you! I'm happy you like the music. It can sometimes take a while to find something that feels right.
Thank you for sharing Hongdae tour❤
Thanks for watching!
I tripped around that area 90~94 and recently visited again with my two daughters. A lot is different now, but it's all cool even though so much is new.
Agreed. So much more to do there now. I don't think it's bad at all.
Nice video! Outside gate 8 Hongdai station, got it!
Thank you!
I used to be a regular at MI in the early 2000s. The area has changed so much over the years.
Yeah, I think it qualifies as one of the most transformed areas of the city.
Awesome video, Mike!! Your music choice is always top notch! Loved everything you showed us and all of the history behind it. THANK YOU!!
What exactly are the benefits of a tourist area designation? I think I heard that you can purchase things in shops tax free in the area, but I wonder if there are other benefits. Does it mean the area cannot be torn down because it is a cultural zone?
Thanks, as always! As far as I understand it, the STZ designation has more to do with allowing government funding for developing tourist facilities in an area, promoting tourist facing business development, that sort of thing, than with any direct benefit to the tourists. There are Duty Free shops all around the city, and you should be able to get a tax refund from most purchases you make here as a tourist. My attempts at digging up a detailed list of actual benefits have come up empty so far.
@@MikeFromKorea Makes sense! Thank you for answering my question. I am happy to see Seoul being PRO-ACTIVE about their tourism hopefully they are also considering some overcrowding measures and more live data concerning crowd levels (Naver has been super helpful in that regard). Would be interested to see how all of that develops!
안녕 마이클
항상 응원 합니다~
감사합니다!
Do you often think back at the good old times or do you prefer what Seoul has developed into over the years?
I prefer today by far. I mean, I can look back on the past and smile at the way things used to be, and I actually do miss some of it to some degree. But in terms of quality of life, it's just much better today in more ways than I could enumerate.
@@MikeFromKorea Thanks for taking the time to answer!
Do you recall ever seeing Tin Pan club?
No, sorry. I didn't spend as much time in Hongdae as I did elsewhere. I couldn't tell you the names of any clubs that were around back then other than Drug.
Did you ever know Michael Arnold aka Mike in Korea?
No, this is the first I've heard of him.
@@MikeFromKorea I used to follow his vlogs back in 2000s and he was one of the reasons i eventually visited, he has thousands of videos from around 04-11