Cheongdam-dong

Cheongdam-dong
Korean transcription(s)
• Hangul	청담동
• Hanja	淸潭洞
• Revised Romanization	Cheongdam-dong
• McCune–Reischauer	Ch'ŏngtam-tong
Country	South Korea
Area
• Total	2.33 km2 (0.90 sq mi)
Population (2001)
• Total	34,262
• Density	14,705/km2 (38,090/sq mi)

Cheongdam-dong (Hangul: 청담동; Hanja: 淸潭洞) is a ward of Gangnam District in Seoul, South Korea.^[1][2] The area epitomizes the wealthy lifestyle of Koreans, especially for young professionals who have studied overseas. It is known as an upmarket shopping area, with the main shopping street dubbed 'Cheongdam Fashion Street'. Along with Apgujeong’s Rodeo Street in Apgujeong-dong and Garosu-gil in Sinsa-dong, which are connected by the main Apgujeong-ro, they are seen as fashionable and trendsetting destinations.^[3][4]

Characteristics

Ermenegildo Zegna store in 2012

Cartier Maison and Salvatore Ferragamo stores in 2012

This area was originally named Chungsutgol which means clean water valley, for a clean pond that existed here during the Joseon Dynasty. Until Joseon Dynasty and the Japanese Colonial Era in the early 20th century, it was a part of Gyeonggi Province which currently indicates the outskirt of Seoul, the capital city of Republic of Korea. On January 1, 1963, Cheongdam-dong was incorporated into Seoul. On October 1, 1973, it became one of the 26 dong (neighborhoods) of the Gangnam District or Gangnam-gu. Gangnam-gu is one of the 25 gu (gu refers to local government district in Korea) in Seoul.^[5] Since 1988, Cheongdam-dong has been divided into two sub-regions: Cheongdam 1 dong and Cheongdam 2 dong.^[6]

Seoul Districts

Cheongdam-dong was underdeveloped up till 10 years ago, during which time, galleries moved to this area. It formed the existing gallery street, near the Galleria Department Store in Apgujeong-dong towards Cheongdam Park.^[7] Apart from galleries and luxury shopping the area also has high-end restaurants, bars, clubs, cafes and beauty salons; and known as an upscale residential area, especially for Korean celebrities such as actors and K-pop artists.

The 760-meter-long section of main street Apgujeong-ro, that runs from Apgujeongrodeo Station at Galleria Department Store to Cheongdam crossroad, has been dubbed the 'Cheongdam Fashion Street' or 'Cheongdamdong Street of Luxury Goods'. It is lined with stores of luxury brands, such as Ermenegildo Zegna, Salvatore Ferragamo, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Burberry, as well as outlets for 3.1 Phillip Lim, Martin Margiela and Tory Burch and Korean designer Son Jung-wan.^[8][9][10]

Attractions

Vera Wang Bridal Korea in 2012

The area is the location for the headquarters of K-pop management companies S.M. Entertainment, JYP Entertainment, Cube Entertainment, and J. Tune Entertainment,. Since January 2012, the area is also home to FNC Entertainment, who moved into their own company offices, separate from their parent company in Mnet Media Building in neighbouring Apgujeong-dong.^[11] The MCM Haus flagship store is also located in the area. One half of the multi-colour facade is designed by British artist Richard Woods, while the other half of the exterior is decorated with individually numbered brass plates. It also has an Italian restaurant in the basement, furnished with Woods' designs.^[12][13]

Shopping and dining complex 10 Corso Como, opened in 2008, opposite the Galleria Department Store.^[8] Also in September 2008, French jeweler Cartier opened its first flagship store in South Korea, named Cartier Maison, located on Apgujeong-ro, with its facade inspired by Korean Bojagi wrapping cloth. Helmed by Managing Director Philippe Galtie, he said It is the largest in Korea and at the time of opening it was the seventh largest in the world.^[14]

In June 2012, luxury bridal gown designer Vera Wang opened her third global and first Asian flagship store 'Vera Wang Bridal Korea', helmed by President Jung Mi-ri, in Cheongdam-dong.^[15]

In media

• 5 March 2012: Shinhwa comeback press conference after a four-year hiatus, where they served mandatory military service, was held at CGV Cheongdam-dong, which was also streamed live by Mnet Media to 200 countries.^[16][17][18]
• In December 2012, the area was the setting for SBS weekend drama series, Cheongdam-dong Alice. It stars Moon Geun-young, Park Si-hoo, So Yi-hyun and Kim Ji-seok, and is based on the novel, Cheongdamdong Audrey.^[19]
• In May 2013, the 10 Corso Como store was used as a filming location for the music video of Psy's 2013 single "Gentleman".^[20]

Image of "Luxury Town"

In media coverage, Cheongdam-dong is often portrayed as a luxury town. Korean drama series such as "Cheongdam-dong Alice", "Cheongdam-dong Scandal", and "I Live in Cheongdam-dong" all had Cheongdam-dong as a backdrop that is full of luxury brand stores, rich people, celebrities, and drama. The "Fasion Street" area is also called "new-money neighborhood", a place "where the most immaculately dressed, beautiful, and yet curiously unhappy-looking women in Korean can be seen." ^[21]

While it is true that a part of Cheongdam-dong is full of luxury brand stores, K-Pop hubs, and galleries, this public image tends to get overly generalized, mainly due to skewed media portrayal. In fact, a large portion of Cheongdam-dong is composed of residential area, where ordinary people live their everyday lives. They live in apartment complex such as Samick apartment, Hyundai apartment, and Woosung apartment, which are usually formed around public parks or schools. Although the image of luxury town remains true to some extent, it should not take over other aspects of Choengdam-dong, as for some people this place means home. ^[22]

Transportation

There are mainly three types of public transportation running in and through Cheongdam-dong: Bus, Subway, and Taxi. An electronic pre-paid card called T-money can be typically used for all three types of transportation, in addition to credit cards and cash. For more information about getting around Cheongdam-dong, visit the official Korea Tourism webpage. ^[23]

• Bus: Buses of four colors run in Cheongdam-dong, just like in the rest of Seoul. Bus lines that pass through Cheongdam-dong include: 143, 146, 2415, 3414, 3011, 9407, 9507, and many more.
• Subway: Two main subway stations in Cheongdam-dong are Cheongdam station and Apgujeong Rodeo station. Subway lines that pass through this area are Subway Line 7 and the Bundang Line.
• Taxi: An equivalent to Uber in Cheongdam-dong along with many parts of Korea today, is KakaoTaxi.

School

• Cheongdam Elementary School
• Eonbuk Elementary School
• Cheongdam Middle School
• Young Dong High School

See also

• Shopping in Seoul
• Fashion in South Korea
• Gangnam District

References

External links

• Cheongdam-dong at Life in Korea
• Cheongdam-dong at Gangnam-gu official website

Coordinates: 37°31′30″N 127°02′56″E / 37.525°N 127.049°E / 37.525; 127.049