Cheongdam-dong

Cheongdam-dong (Korean: 청담동; Hanja: 淸潭洞) is a ward of Gangnam District in Seoul, South Korea.[1][2] The area is best known in South Korea as an affluent neighborhood populated by a disproportionately high number of high-income individuals and for having some of the most expensive real estate in the country. 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.The Blackpink vocalist, Jennie Kim was born in Cheongdam-dong.[3][4]

Cheongdam-dong
Korean transcription(s)
 • Hangul청담동
 • Hanja淸潭洞
 • Revised RomanizationCheongdam-dong
 • McCune–ReischauerCh'ŏngtam-tong
Cheongdam Intersection, the starting point of the Cheongdam Fashion Street
CountrySouth Korea
Area
 • Total2.33 km2 (0.90 sq mi)
Population
 (2001)
 • Total34,262
 • Density14,705/km2 (38,090/sq mi)

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, Cube Entertainment, and J. Tune Entertainment, and was the location of the old building for JYP Entertainment, before it was moved near the Olympic Park, which is still in Gangnam District. 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

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 "Fashion 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: Three main subway stations in Cheongdam-dong are Cheongdam station, Apgujeong Rodeo station, and Gangnam-gu Office 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

References
  1. "청담동 (Cheongdam-dong 淸潭洞)". Doosan encyclopedia (in Korean). Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  2. "The origin of the names: Samseong-dong". Gangnam District official site (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2005-02-01. Retrieved 2008-04-14.
  3. Rahn, Kim (28 July 2011). "Three Gangnam districts show latest fads". Korea Times. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  4. "Apgujeong & Cheongdam". Korea Tourism Organization. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  5. "History". Cheongdam-dong.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-04-25. Retrieved 2016-04-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. Rahn, Kim (27 November 2011). "Galleries spruce up Cheongdam Street". Korea Times. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  8. Kwon, Mee-yoo (16 December 2010). "Cheongdam sparkles with trendiest shops". Korea Times. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  9. "Cheongdamdong Street (청담동거리)". Korea Tourism Organization. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  10. "Cheongdam-dong Fashion (Celebrity) Street, Gangnam". Visit Seoul. Seoul City Tourism. Archived from the original on 14 October 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  11. Kim, Ji-soo (22 February 2012). "Carving out niche with pop rock bands". Korea Times. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
  12. Garcia, Cathy Rose A. (30 July 2010). "Why are upscale stores in Seoul empty?". Korea Times. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  13. "MCM Haus Flagship store". CNN Travel. 1 June 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  14. Garcia, Cathy Rose A. (28 September 2008). "Cartier Opens Flagship Store in Cheongdam". Korea Times. Archived from the original on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
  15. Lee, Rachel (29 June 2012). "Vera Wang opens 1st Asia flagship in Seoul". Korea Times. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  16. Sunwoo, Carla (25 February 2012). "Shinhwa's comeback press conference to be streamed live". Joongang Daily. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  17. "Shinhwa press conference to be broadcast live online". Korea Times. 24 February 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  18. Kim, Erika (29 February 2012). "Global Mnet to Relay Live Shinhwa's Comeback Conference Around the World". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
  19. Ho, Stewart (10 August 2012). "Will Moon Geun Young Make Her Small Screen Comeback Through Cheongdamdong Alice?". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  20. Park, Jin-hai (7 May 2013). "Psy showcases Korean fashion: 10 Corso Como Seoul offers fashion and culture in new Gangnam style". Korea Times. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  21. Tudor, Daniel (10 November 2012). Korea: The Impossible Country. Tuttle Publishing.
  22. "Image of "Luxury Town"". Cheongdam-dong. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  23. "Transportation in Cheongdam-dong". Cheongdam-dong. Retrieved 17 April 2016.

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