With the boom of K-POP, people all around the world became drawn to Korean products used and created by Koreans. Placing the letter K in front—K-beauty, K-food, and K-culture—these products became the interest of people who visited Korea. These tourists tended and continue to shop in unique areas like Hongdae, rather than the typical department stores and duty-free shops.
Countless stores with various items including famous brand clothing, street clothing, shoes, accessories, keychains, phone cases, and beauty products are listed side by side all throughout Hongdae. In addition to the clothing stores, there are Beautiful cafes with interesting themes and desserts, restaurants living up to the hype, and people who tell your fortune with tarot cards and Chinese horoscopes. Since tourists can access all these interesting and unique stores and products in one area, Hongdae is a significantly attractive and indispensable area to visit.
Hongdae first got its name when in 1955 the Hongik University moved its location to where it is now. The name Hongdae is an abbreviation of ‘Hongik Daehaggyo’ which means Hongik University. As the Art major at Hongik University started to develop, Hongdae became the street of art in 1970. Students of Hongik University built their workrooms in the street which developed the spirit of art and culture in the area.
At the beginning of 1990, the area had numerous cafes which attracted older generations. Whereas in the mid-1990s, the area had nightclubs congested in each corner. Finally, after the 2000s, Hongdae became a tourist hot spot that represents K culture.
The opening of a new metro line of Gyeonggi-Middle, and the inflow of the 2nd and 6th metro lines lead to the escalation of a growth in population. This allowed for better commercialization of the area, which later spurred into today’s Hongdae.
“홍대: 서울역사아카이브.” 서울역사아카이브, museum.seoul.go.kr/archive/archiveNew/NR_archiveList.do?ctgryId=CTGRY463&type=A#:~:text=1955%EB%85%84%20%ED%99%8D%EC%9D%B5%EB%8C%80%ED%95%99%EA%B5%90%EC%9D%98,%EB%AC%B8%ED%99%94%20%EC%8B%A4%ED%97%98%EB%93%A4%EC%9D%B4%20%EC%8B%9C%EB%8F%84%EB%90%98%EC%97%88%EC%8A%B5%EB%8B%88%EB%8B%A4. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.