Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Many residents of Seoul are originally from elsewhere.
Spilling from Namsan's southern slopes down to the Han River is the still crowded but
mainly residential Yongsan district, which houses a major U.S. Army base and is the epi-
center of Seoul's foreign community. Other districts of note north of the river include Mapo
in western Seoul, where several notable universities and the lively Hongdae and Sinchon
club districts are located.
The area south of the river, Gangnam—now a household name worldwide thanks to
rapper Psy's YouTube hit “Gangnam Style”—could be considered Seoul's more modern
face. The buildings tend to be newer and taller here and the streets wider and adorned with
pedestrian-friendly touches like broad sidewalks and shady trees. Gangnam is a major hub
for the finance and information technology industries, and a mass of trendy shopping and
entertainment zones have sprung up to cater to the young professionals that these businesses
employ, including the vast COEX shopping complex and ritzy Apgujeong, Seoul's answer
to Rodeo Drive. West of Gangnam is Yeouido, a large island jutting into the Han River
dominated by the blue-domed National Assembly and the de facto national headquarters for
many of the country's investment banks and broadcasters.
