“Asian Review 043” ― Seoul part4
Coffee at a Café in Myeong Dong
Asian Review, Seoul Series has already became the 4th issue, visiting Myeong Dong area.
Myeong Dong is the name of area the size of which is about 800m north to south and about 700m east to west, sandwiched between Eulji Road Station of Seoul Metro Line 2 and Myeong Dong Station of Line 4. The area sometimes seems to include the part of Sogong Dong where the Lotte Hotel and the Lotte Department Store exist.
Currently, Seoul is divided into Gangbuk and Gangnam by the Han River, but in the days of Joseon dynasty, the area of the old city was divided into Bukchong (North Village) and Namchong (South Village) by the Cheonggye river. In Bukchong, officials and merchants who work in the court lived, while in Namchong common people lived. Myeong Dong is located just south of the Cheonggye river.
During the Japanese governance, Myeong Dong was called “Meiji town” and developed as a Japanese Quarter and also as a commercial center. Trams were running on the main street, and in the 1920s, Myeong Dong became Seoul’s premier downtown area.
In the 1930s, there were five department stores including the Mitsukoshi Department Store (now Shinsegae Department Store). The existing Myeong Dong Art Theater was also built at this time. After the establishment of the Republic of Korea, Myeong Dong was severely damaged by the Korean War, but it was developed based on the redevelopment plan formulated in 1956, and in the 1970’s, it became Korea’s financial and economic center.
Now, after those developments such as the Gangnam area and the Yeouido Island which is in the middle of the Han River had proceeded, the financial and economic functions are decentralized, and Myeong Dong became to have a characteristics as a hyper commercial area with accumulation of commercial facilities and hotels more than ever. In addition to the concentration of fast fashion such as ZARA, Forever21, Hennes & Mauritz and Uniqlo, there is also a street where cosmetic stores gather, and sports brand shops such as Adidas, Descente and New Balance are also prominent.
There are a wide variety of restaurants some of which are well-established. In the 1970’s drinking coffee at a cafe in Myeong Dong became recognized as “fashionable”. While there were many pop-style shops, there was also a sober cafe with antique furniture. A quarter century ago, Myeong Dong was described as “a place like Ginza”,” but recently it is described as “a place like Shibuya.” It means that Myeong Dong itself is changing, and that the name recognition of Shibuya is rising as well, I suppose.
