Comments on: Itaewon, Sparkling!

By: FatManSeoul

FatManSeoul — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 07:14:58 +0000

Itaewon has been home to a bit of a renaissance for food ~ it’s definitely one of the epicenters, and it is this reputation that is really drawing in the Korean crowds. That said, prices are definitely inflated in that neighborhood. St. Ex serves up some very, very good food but the prices are just as rich as the food.

By: Jaim

Jaim — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 03:09:43 +0000

The problem with Itaewon IMO is that it’s so godawfully boring.

That said, I had brunch at St. Ex (French restaurant from the article). It was pretty good, but maybe a little spendy for what we got.

It’ll definitely be interesting to see what the effects of Yongsan Base closing down will be. I imagine Itaewon will still be a draw for having so many foreign-type stores that will draw both wayguk saram and natives. The nightlife will probably take a hit though, I’d imagine.

By: 3gyupsal

3gyupsal — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 23:58:13 +0000

I mean the back in the day stuff. I think these days soldiers are prohibited from doing that stuff. I’m not blaming anyone here, I mean back in the day as well the Korean government could have just said “no” to all of the all of the whore houses and that kind of thing, but the Korean government officials were some of the biggest customers at those places, they even went so far as to take U.S. generals to such places as a show of hospitality. But still, the U.S. government shouldn’t have been encouraging such things as well.

By: Mark

Mark — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 20:36:32 +0000

…U.S. military supported sex trade in Korea.

But the US only supports a small fraction of the sex trade as a whole, which is approximately 4% of Korea’s GDP.

By: 3gyupsal

3gyupsal — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 13:39:48 +0000

Very interesting and frank articles. I have to admit my own prejudices to Itaewon, but on my first trip there (last summer, after 2 years of living in Korea) I had to embrace the charm of the “keun oat,” (large clothing) stores. Where else can you buy a huge 100% silk Hawaiian shirt for 10,000 won? Mr. Byun in the article, “Koreans Embrace Korea’s Exotic District,” seems to be a bit of an ass, but later in reading, “Troops Remember a Place for its Vices,” you kind of strike a middle ground in being reminded of the U.S. military supported sex trade in Korea.

All in all the articles were a bit surprising in their frankness. Thanks.