Scenes from Seoul: Hannam-dong

#4K #Korea
I've lived in or around Hannam-dong, just north of the Han River in central Seoul, for most of the 30+ years I've lived in Korea.  During that time, it has undergone a massive transformation. I never imagined that it could have become a hot spot like Apgujeong Rodeo was in the '90s, but that's what happened.

Hannam-dong has always been a mix of three worlds: one world full of old, crumbling apartments with low property values (mostly the southwest); one world full of high-priced real estate (the northwest/north-central and southeast); and one world that was somewhere in the middle, a mix of low and high, but not as extreme as the other two areas (the middle and northeast). It's this latter area that has gentrified and undergone the biggest transformation since some point around 2010.

One after another, many of the low-rise apartments that line the backstreets of central Hannam-dong have been partially or completely taken over by boutique clothing shops, restaurants, cafes, and bars. The U.S. military apartments that once dominated the west side of Hannam-daero were demolished and replaced by a luxury high-rise complex. Ditto for the grounds of the university that once operated on the east side of the same boulevard. Blue Square, a culture complex constructed by Interpark, dominates the intersection of Itaewon-ro and Hannam-dong, attracting people from all around the Seoul and Korea to its musicals and other cultural events.

The scenes in this video are mostly from the central part of Hannam-dong: the north and south sides of Itaewon-ro and the west side of Hannam-daero. On a spring weekend, with more relaxed attitudes toward the COVID-19 pandemic, people were all over the place. It was nice to see such a crowd again.

A few scenes come from the quiet northeast pocket on the east side of Hannam-daero. That part is recognizable in the video because there are fewer people. Only a handful of public-facing shops have opened up there, close to the boulevard. But several small businesses have taken over some of the residences further into the neighborhood use as offices, and even a couple of art galleries have moved in. All have brought with them a transformation of building exteriors that have added to life to the area.

I've been wanting to do a "Scenes from" video in Hannam-dong for some time. I'm glad I put it off as long as I did. The weather was perfect, the crowds were nice to see, and I thoroughly enjoyed spending two afternoons getting a better look at all the changes. Since I don't live directly in Hannam-dong anymore I don't go there very often, so a lot was new to me. It's often (though not always!) a pleasant experience when an old and familiar neighborhood suddenly is full of new discoveries waiting to be made.

META:
I shot the scenes for this video on the late afternoon of Saturday April 16, 2022, and the early afternoon of Sunday, April 17, using an iPhone 11 mounted on a DJI OM 4 in 4K at 60 fps. The temperature was in the neighborhood of 20°C/68°F.

SEE ALSO:
My walk from Beotigogae Station to Hangangjin Station passes through the northeast corner of Hannam-dong, across the footbridge I filmed from in this video, and in front of Blue Square:
Seoul Walk: Beotigogae Station to Han...

My walk from Hangangjin Station to Noksapyeong Station follows Itaewon-ro through Hannam-dong and into Itaewon:
Seoul Walk: Hangangjin Station - Itae...

My walk from Hannam Station to Oksu Station covers a part of Hannam-dong not seen in this video:
Seoul Walk: Hannam Station to Oksu St...

My Scenes from Seoul video at the Han River Park begins in Hannam-dong:
Scenes from Seoul: Han River Park (Ha...