Itaewon Kids Encyclopedia

Itaewon
Korean transcription(s)
• Hangul	이태원
• Hanja	梨泰院
• Revised Romanization	Itaewon
• McCune–Reischauer	It'aewŏn
Itaewon featuring Seoul Central Mosque
Country	South Korea

Itaewon refers to an area surrounding Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It is served by Seoul Subway Line 6 via Itaewon, Noksapyeong, and Hanganjin stations. About 22,000 people reside in the district and it is a popular area for residents of Seoul, tourists, expats, and U.S. military personnel.

Local attractions

There are many restaurants in Itaewon serving cuisine that are not widely available in Korea, such as those from India, Pakistan, Turkey, Southeast Asia, Britain, Germany, Italy, France, Portugal, Spain and Mexico. Essentially, it's known as "Western Town," reminiscent of many Chinatowns in Western nations.

Itaewon, along with Insadong and Seoul Tower, is one of the most popular places in Seoul for tourists. Major hotels such as the Grand Hyatt and local landmark Hamilton Hotel are here as well as dozens of shops and services aimed at tourists. High-quality leather products are sold at reasonable prices (though haggling is expected) as well as traditional Korean souvenirs.

Counterfeit goods and clothing items are ubiquitous and of varying qualities. Some authentic goods that are only produced in Korea for the international market, as well as some authentic imports are also available. Itaewon is known for its clothes-makers who produce custom-made suits. Many foreigners in Korea reside within or near Itaewon, as well as some of the richest Korean business-people, including Lee Kun-Hee, the chairman of Samsung group.

Images

• 

  Itaewon Gyeongnidan-gil

• 

  Halloween festival in Itaewon

• 

  Halloween festival

• 

  A street in Itaewon

• 

  Bogwang street and Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon