Hongdae Area
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Hongdae () is a neighborhood in
Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
,
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
near
Hongik University Hongik University (, colloquially ''Hongdae'') is a private university in Seoul, South Korea. Founded by an activist in 1946, the university is located in Mapo-gu district of central Seoul, South Korea with a second campus(branch campus) in S ...
, after which it is named. It is known for its
urban art Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...
s and
indie music Independent music (also commonly known as indie music or simply indie) is music that is produced independently from commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, a process that may include an autonomous, DIY ethic, do-it-yourself approach to r ...
culture, local shops, clubs and entertainment. The area is located in
Mapo-gu Mapo District () is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. Mapo has a population of 381,330 (2015) and has a geographic area of 23.87 km2 (9.22 sq mi), and is divided into 24 '' dong'' (administrative neighborhoods). Mapo is located in w ...
in the western end of Seoul, stretching from Seogyo-dong to
Hapjeong-dong Hapjeong-dong () is a '' dong'', neighbourhood of the Mapo-gu district in Seoul, South Korea. See also *Administrative divisions of South Korea Origin of the name Originally, Hapjeong-dong was a part of Yeonhui-bang, a division of Seoul that ...
.


Name

Hongdae () is an abbreviation of Hongik Daehakgyo, Hongik University (홍익대학교). The term 'hongdae' is usually used in regards to Hongik University which has one of the top
fine arts In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...
colleges in
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
.


Characteristics

Under the influence of Hongik University (Hongdae) which is well known for its prestigious art college, the neighborhood was built on a foundation of artistic souls since the 1990s. In the early days, thanks to then-cheap rent, budget musicians and street artists started moving into the ateliers of the Hongdae area. In the true sense of the word, the
Korean indie Korean indie, referring to independent music in South Korea, developed in the 1990s in Hongdae, an area of Northwestern Seoul. It is widely regarded as the counterpart to K-pop; whereas K-pop is characterized by a commercialized image targeting a ...
scene started from the two bands,
Sister's Barbershop Onnine Ibalgwan (Hangul: 언니네이발관), also known as Sister's Barbershop'','' was a South Korean modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations us ...
and
Crying Nut Crying Nut () is a punk band from South Korea. They are often credited as being pioneers of the Korean punk and indie rock scenes. The group began performing in 1995 in the Hongdae club scene in Seoul. They released their debut album, '' Speed U ...
at Hongdae in the mid-1990s. Before that many cover bands were playing near Shinchon and Idae. Later, other bands like
Jaurim Jaurim ( meaning "Purple Rainforest") is a rock band from Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democrat ...
,
Peppertones Peppertones (Hangul: 페퍼톤스), is a Korean rock band formed in 2003 by Shin Jae-pyung and Lee Jang-won. The pair met as computer science students at KAIST in Daejeon. The band's first EP album ''A Preview'' was released in 2004. They releas ...
and
Idiotape Idiotape is a South Korean electronic music band. They released their debut EP ''0805'' in July 2010 and their first album ''11111101'', a year later, which won "Best Dance & Electronic Album" at the 2012 Korean Music Awards. They have performed ...
started to play at venues in Hongdae, and the area begins to have a reputation as the mecca of urban arts and underground club culture. Now the area provides
street art Street art is visual art created in public locations for public visibility. It has been associated with the terms "independent art", "post-graffiti", "neo-graffiti" and guerrilla art. Street art has evolved from the early forms of defiant graff ...
festivals and performances, as well as music concerts by independent artists and mainstream entertainers. Many come to Hongdae for its aesthetically unique characteristics. There are many graffiti murals painted all over the streets of Hongdae. One of the well known areas for these murals is Hongdae Mural Street (also known as ‘Picasso's Street’). Like other multi-cultural
metropolitan areas A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually ...
, this street is undergoing
gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and urban planning, planning. Gentrification ...
. However, despite the recent explosion of upmarket brand shops that pushes artists to move toward the southern area near
Hapjeong Station Hapjeong Station () is a subterranean station of Seoul Subway Line 2 and Seoul Subway Line 6. The station is located just north of the Han River in Mapo-gu. The name of the subway station comes from its local name. The name of the area means cl ...
, the street still enjoys a reputation as the city's prime spot for indie musicians. Many live music venues and festivals draw revelers from a wide range of visitors.
YG Entertainment YG Entertainment Inc. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1996 by Yang Hyun-suk. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production compa ...
, the major
K-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, gos ...
agency is also located near the street. Apart from indie art culture, Hongdae is also home to independent clothing stalls and vintage shops. As well, there are kitschy and eclectic theme cafes for characters and pets. In 2016, Hongdae was ranked one of the coolest neighborhoods in the world.


Events


Zandari Festa

Zandari Festa Zandari Festa is a three-day music festival and showcase held in various live music venues and other locations in the area around Hongik University in Seoul. Every year, it offers around 100 music acts from Korea and around the world, as well as ...
is named after 'Zandari', an old name for the Hongdae area. 'Zandari' implies small bridge, and the festival's ambition is also to be a bridge between the artists and audiences around the local indie music scene. Every Fall, it is held over 3 days in the pre-scheduled hosting live clubs. The festival encourages bands to invite themselves, artists are also encouraged to take part in planning and promoting the shows they play in.


Live Club Day

Since March 2001, 'Club Day' started as a wristband-powered event which allows entry to more than a dozen clubs for the price of one. After 2007, 'Sound Day' also launched together with the indie music concert venues. During 2008 through early 2009 they were suspend due to high levels of violence and disturbances by
US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
soldiers and underage individuals. They reopened again but came to close soon in January 2011 (as the 117th Club Day), mainly due to the dispute over the distribution of profits between popular live/dance clubs and other budget ones. After a four-year break, in January 2015, six live clubs established the 'Live Club Cooperative' and with other clubs, they resumed the 'Live Club Day' on 27 February. The 'Live Club Day' is held on the last Friday of every month. The ticket system is the same as before, one can get access to multiple clubs for a variety of genres including rock, jazz, hip hop and electronic with one ticket.


Street Art Exhibition

During early 1990s, students from the College of Fine Arts at Hongik University began to decorate the streets, walls, and roads around the college. Their efforts were soon joined by many artists from across the country and the first 'Street Art Festival' was held in 1993. Every year, students of Hongik University and neighbor artists join to produce diversity of visual arts on Hongdae streets like
graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...
wall painting, installation arts and performances.


Free Market

'Hongdaeap Artmarket Freemarket' is held on 'Hongdae Playground', that is in front of the main gate of Hongik University. It holds on weekends, from March to November at 13:00 to 18:00 by the host of the nonprofit organization 'Living and Art Creative Center (일상예술창작센터)' since 2002. The flea markets are called "Free Market" on Saturdays and "Hope Market" on Sundays. They are fledgling craft markets of things made by students and street artists. Other culture markets have been influenced by this original playground Freemarket and open randomly around the Hongdae area.


Transport

The area is served by subway via Hongik University station (, and ),
Hapjeong station Hapjeong Station () is a subterranean station of Seoul Subway Line 2 and Seoul Subway Line 6. The station is located just north of the Han River in Mapo-gu. The name of the subway station comes from its local name. The name of the area means cl ...
( and ), and
Sangsu station Sangsu station is a subway station on Seoul Subway Line 6 Seoul Subway Line 6 is a line of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway. The route connects Eunpyeong-gu and Jungnang-gu in a U-shaped manner, running through Yongsan-gu and Seongbuk-gu. It does ...
(). Also, various Seoul bus lines reach the street, as well as the presence of many taxis.


In popular culture

Hongdae area is widely used for filming location of domestic television dramas and movies, which include : * 2007, MBC's '' Coffee Prince' * 2010, KBS's '' Mary Stayed Out All Night'' * 2011,
tvN TVN may refer to: * TVN (Australian TV channel), a former horse racing channel * Televisión Nacional de Chile, a public broadcaster * TVN (Indonesia), a former television station; predecessor of Rajawali Televisi * TVN (Norway), or TVNorge, a comm ...
's ''
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop ''Cool Guys, Hot Ramen'' () is a 2011 South Korean romantic comedy television series, starring Jung Il-woo, Lee Chung-ah, Lee Ki-woo, Park Min-woo, and Cho Yoon-woo. It aired on cable channel tvN from October 31 to December 20, 2011, on Wednes ...
''. * 2012, SBS's '' A Gentleman's Dignity''. * 2015, Belgian singer-songwriter Sioen made a song named ''Hongdae''. * 2017,
Mnet M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...
's reality show '' Fromis's Room'' * 2018,
JTBC JTBC (shortened from ''Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company'' (; stylized as jtbc) is a South Korean nationwide pay television network. Its primary shareholder is JoongAng Holdings, with a 25% stake. It was launched on 1 December 2011. JTBC ...
's reality show ''
Blackpink House ''Blackpink House'' () was a South Korean variety show by Blackpink broadcast by the South Korean television station JTBC. The show is about the members of Blackpink and what they do during their hiatus and everyday lives. The first episode of the ...
'' *2021, 1theK's reality show
Learn Way ''Learn Way'' () is a South Korean variety show airing weekend on KakaoTV, which premiered every Sunday at 12 noon and a re-run on 1theK Originals' YouTube channel every Friday at 12 pm KST. The first season aired on September 20, 2020 ...
season 2, Episode 9


Gallery

File:Hongik univ gate.jpg, Main gate of the Hongik University File:Eoulmadang-ro shops-01.JPG, Independent clothing stalls on Eoulmadang-ro File:The first coffeeprince shop in restaurants of Location.JPG, The exterior of ''Coffee Prince'' File:Wausan-ro 21-gil Hongdae.JPG, Shops on Wausan-ro 21-gil opposite Hongdae Playground


References


External links


Zandari Festa Official Homepage

Live Club Day

Hongdaeap Freemarket Official Homepage
*
Street Art Exhibition
{{coord missing, South Korea Neighbourhoods of Mapo District Entertainment districts in South Korea Shopping districts and streets in South Korea Tourist attractions in Seoul Hongik University