Just like the Chinatown in San Francisco or New York City, there needs to be a place where foreigners can come together. In Seoul, all of the foreigners tend to gather in Itaewon, a distinctive neighborhood in Seoul. Here, you can find people who are from the United States, Morroco, Turkey and Japan, just to name a few nationalities! Itaewon is like a very small United States, as it, too, is a melting pot of cultures.
Foreigners have gathered here since the 1700's. The people who lived here were the Korean mothers of the Japanese invaders. Since this time, Itaewon became a place for different nationalities to gather. Due to my ethnicity and accent, is not uncommon for Koreans to assume that I live in Itaewon, although I do not. Shops here sell food and clothes from different countries. At night, the clubs in this district will play more foreign music like Latin, reggae, and American pop compared to the other districts where they will play more hip hop and electronic dance music.
While living in another country, it is nice to have a place where you can go occasionally and feel like you are back home. People often get homesick when they leave their home country, and this district provides a wide choice of merchandise and food for anyone who might be missing something from their culture.
