No churning of stomachs here.
In Gangnam, the neighbourhood that personifies Seoul’s metropolitan feel, shops on the leafy Garosu-gil boulevard is an eclectic mix of design, style and fashion. Many storefronts look as though they’re prime candidates for their own coffetable tomes. Too Cool For School’s sleek wooden interior is chic Monocleesque playground. The Skin Food concept store is cheery shed of sunshine yellow, with plenty of hanging plants, trellises and garden-style displays. The products’ appealing packaging doesn’t hurt, either.
Dongdaemun Design Plaza’s curvaceous concrete interiors. Gangnamis the essence of
metropolis. The cafe culture is big in Seoul
More cool hunting grounds can be found in Garosu-gil in its plethora of trendy cafes and restaurants. Coffeesmith pulls in the well-heeled crowd with its synthesis of concrete and steel that give the café arustic, industrial vibe. You’ll find locals and the occasional celeb sipping on iced Americano as they watch the crowd pass
by. Café Able is another drool-worthy place, with its eco-inspired menu and communal-centric theme. “Koreans are not really coffee drinkers,” explains Tina Park, “but hanging out at café is considered trendy. Just like snagging Starbucks coffee cup it’s akin to having Prada bag across your shoulder.”
city like Seoul is always on the move. It’s not surprising then that Seoul continues to reinvent its cool. Neighbourhoods such as Samcheong-dong and Yeonnam-dong become hot spots for locals and tourists to linger their time away, visiting chic art galleries hidden amidst traditional hanboks, indie boutiques that house quirky curious and Made in Korea fashion, and alleyways that lead up to stylish cafes and more. Just strolling down the street in these neighbourhoods, soaking up the atmosphere, allows you to sample slice of Seoul that is shrewd in its marketing and makeover. South Korea really prospered good decade after the end of Korean War.
Decades of diligent planning and investment steered it out from being the world’s poorest to the most successful among all Asian countries today. It continues to reinvent itself; its cultural content exports impacting the lives of global audience. In 2016, the Hallyu economic asset had mushroomed into more than US$5 million despite an economic slowdown.
respite forurbanites.
Sameheone-cong is both Faditional and modem
Just consider its K-dramas. South marriage of creativity and commerce has fuelled tourism boom in drama locations. Nami Island, the main filming location of the massive hit drama “Winter Sonata’, annually receives million visitors year. In downtown Seoul, Kyobo Bookstore stands proud near Cheonggyecheon Stream, one of the city’s most recognisable (and successful) urban redevelopment projects.
Source: MUHIBAH, the Royal Brunei Airlines in-flight magazine, 2017 Jul-Aug, pages 29-32. Text recovered from the scanned page by OCR and lightly corrected; spelling may differ from the printed edition.
