Gangnam Festival focuses on what makes Seoul’s poshest district so great

Gangnam-gu will host its four-day Gangnam Festival from Oct 3 to Oct 6 in the COEX area of
Samseong-dong. The district’s leading festival, it links together three of Gangnam’s most popular events: the Gangnam Fashion Festival, the International Peace Marathon and the Hallyu Festival, an autumn K-pop concert Under the theme of “passion” and the slogan “Play the City,” this year’s festival will demonstrate Gangnam’s style and its spirit of noblesse oblige through fashion and donations.

11th International Peace Marathon (Oct 3)
Starting at 8am on Oct 3 in front of the KEPCO office on Yeongdongdae-ro, the International Peace Marathon offers full-course, half-course, 10 km, and 5 km runs. Participants can enjoy the beautiful ecological waterways of Gangnam like the Yangjaecheon and Tancheon Streams and the Hangang River, and even non-runners can enjoy the event as a nice day out with the family.
Participating in the event are Gangnam-gu’s promotional ambassadors, Christina Confalonieri and Robert Holley. You’ll also be able to enjoy a street percussion performance, performances by invitational singers, and a tasting where you can enjoy dishes prepared by nine famous chefs for just KRW 3,000.
Participants will get “K-Bird” t-shirts designed by famous local designers. A stylized bird, the K-Bird is the new symbol of Gangnam that will be unveiled to the world during the marathon.
Marathon participation fees will be donated to UNICEF and the Community Chest of Korea.

FYI>www.peacemarathon.co.kr, T. 02-3423-5956
GO>COEX can be reached by Samseong Station 삼성역 (Line 2).

7th Gangnam Fashion Festival (Oct 3–5)
The garden party-esque opening ceremony of this year’s Gangnam Fashion Festival is on Oct 3 at 6pm in COEX’s G-20 Square. In the festival you’ll see both everyday fashions and luxury fashions by designers from around the world, and even a “citizen model” fashion show and international fashion show.
The first day will feature the opening ceremony and a show with designs by Korea’s new designers. The second day features a much-anticipated “trend” fashion show led  by popular designer Choe Cheol-yong. In addition to the latest fashions, we’ll be able to see other trends as well.
On the last day is the international fashion show and “citizen model” fashion show. The international fashion show will feature clothing from all over the world. The “citizen model” one will show off fall fashions appropriate for everyday life. The show will end with a giant swing dance party hosted by the Ddanddara Dance Hall, Korea’s largest swing dance association.
The Gangnam Fashion Festival will be accompanied by a variety of street performances as well as a fashion market where you can purchase unique looks by local designers. Some 3% of the proceeds from the fashion market will be donated to charity. There will also be booths set up with drinks, including samples of wine from Japan’s Yamanashi Prefecture and pop-up shops.

GO>COEX can be reached by Samseong Station 삼성역 (Line2).

Hallyu Festival (K-pop Concert) (Oct 5)
The finale of the festival comes at 7pm on Oct 6 with the Hallyu Festival, the name taken from the Korean term for the so-called Korean Wave. With traffic stopped on the eight-lane road in front of the KEPCO building, the Hallyu Festival is a K-pop concert featuring performances by some of Korea’s top stars. The performance is made all the more special by the fact that they’ll be performing for free as a “talent donation.” This year’s headliners include INFINITE, SHINee, EXO, and Girl’s Day.

FYI>www.fashionfestival.or.kr

Gangnam Grand Sale (Oct 1-31)
For the month of October—including, of course, the period of the Gangnam Festival—restaurants, major department stores, cultural spaces, museums, and other businesses will be offering major discounts, allowing visitors to enjoy the city’s charms in a wallet-friendly manner.
To make use of the sales, get one of the specially made coupon books from the Gangnam Tourist Information Center, local resident centers, or the Gangnam-gu homepage.

FYI>T. 02-3788-0872

New Gangnam Tourist Information Center is not your garden-variety info booth[/box_dark]

As part of a general effort to turn Seoul’s posh Gangnam district into a global tourism hot spot, the government of Gangnam-gu will open its Gangnam Tourist Information Center near the parking lot of the Hyundai Department Store in Apgujeong-dong on June 26. The new Gangnam Tourist Information Center is designed to be quite distinct from existing tourist information centers. On the first floor visitors will find the Medical Tourism Center and Comprehensive Tourism Information Center, tasked with promoting the Gangnam district’s outstanding Korean Wave cultural content, tourism resources, and medical tourism infrastructure. On the second floor you’ll find the Korean Wave Experience Hall, a experiential information center where guests can get information on the district’s tourism resources through hands-on displays and programs.

According to an online poll conducted for two weeks last year by the Korea Tourism Organization on its website’s foreign members, 91% of respondents who’d heard “Gangnam Style”—1,556 foreigners from 77 nations—responded that they’d like to visit Korea. With the eyes of the world focused on Gangnam thanks to the “Gangnam Style” craze, and with interest in the district skyrocketing, local authorities plan to develop this enthusiasm in a sustainable way and provide systemic tourism information to visiting foreigners.

The neighborhood where the center is located, Apgujeong-dong, is a favorable location thanks to its cluster of transportation, shopping, and medical facilities. It is also next to major tourist destinations such as Sinsadong’s Garosugil and the luxury boutiques of Cheongdam-dong, meaning local and foreign tourists can find it easily. Accordingly, it is quickly becoming a new focal point in Korea’s tourism scene.

Moreover, authorities hope to link the center with the hallyu star street—a Korean Wave project currently under way in the Cheongdam-dong district—to turn the center into a must-see site for Korean Wave tourists. To allow tourist groups better access, the center has parking facilities for tour buses.

Let us take a look at the center’s indoor facilities. On the first floor, you’ll find a tourism information desk that provides tourism information in English, Chinese, and Japanese. You’ll also find the Medical Tourism Center, which allows visitors an opportunity to experience medical tourism—one of the Gangnam district’s major tourism draws—and provides information on local medical tourism. There are also travel agencies, currency exchange services, a lounge, and even a tourism services desk that can assist with ticket reservations, transportation cards, luggage storage, etc. All in all, it provides a one-stop shop for individual travelers visiting the center.

On the second floor, there’s a digital experience zone, Korean Wave star experience zone, Korean Wave display zone, and a comprehensive beauty zone. All of this allows visitors to directly see, hear, and experience content from their favorite Korean Wave stars.

District authorities plan to make the center a bastion for tourists, developing tourism products to draw foreign tourists, hosting major tourism events, and using the center as a departure point for Gangnam tours.

Authorities are doing their all to attract even more tourists, enacting codes related to tourism promotion and expanding tourism infrastructure like accommodation facilities for foreign tourists, with the goal of drawing two million foreign tourists to Gangnam this year.

FYI>
T. 02-3445-0111
(서울시 강남구 압구정동 428 |  428 Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul)

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Hyundai Department Store: Apgujeong Station 압구정역 (Line 3), Exit 4

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GAROSU-GIL
Trendy Gangnam street offers boutique shopping, fine dining

Written by Curtis File
Photographed by Ryu Seunghoo

Whether you’re looking for luxury goods, posh lounges, or an afternoon of the arts, there are few areas better to visit than the treelined street known as Garosu-gil. Located in the famous Gangnam district, the stylish avenue has a reputation for drawing the rich and the famous and is the place to be for the city’s young trendsetters.

Creative roots

Before it became the hip district it is known as today, the area used to be home to the studios of up-and-coming artists. In the late 1990’s, many of the galleries moved out and were replaced by design studios, fashion brands, and coffee shops. The street holds onto the imprints of its bohemian past.
Buildings and side streets are different than you’ll find in any other part of Seoul. Cobblestoned drives, European-style windows, and rows of golden ginko trees weave together the slew of designer shops and eateries.
Small modern art and photography galleries still populate the area, and it is still home to the famous Gallery Yeh. An architectural landmark, the gallery has featured the works of Korean and international artists alike and is the driving force behind many of the region’s art festivals. Known for bridging the gap between the local and international art scenes, the gallery is also a regular participant in major art fairs, including the International Fair of Contemporary Art in France.

Trendsetting shopping

Maintaining artists’ spirit of creativity and individuality, one-of-a kind designer clothes, shoes, and jewelry can be found all along the strip. Whether you’re after high-end, high-priced designer boutiques or cheaper street vendor goods, there is something for every shopper. These types of establishments are the reason Garosu-gil has earned the nickname “Designer Street,” becoming a beacon for fashion in the city.
Though the area has only become popular in recent years, it is quickly gaining global attention for its trendsetting reputation. Walking down the avenue, one will quickly notice that it’s not just the shops that are different. This is a place where Seoul’s best dressed come to gather and experiment with the latest fashions.

Many major fashion labels and cosmetic brands have taken note and are setting their eyes on the prime location. Brands like H&M, Hollister, Fossil, and Massimo Dutti have already opened stores along the main road. While some are worried that this will bring an end to the unique atmosphere of the area, all it really means is expansion. Many of the smaller boutiques have moved off the main strip and into the side streets, so any trip to Garosu-gil requires an open mind and a bit of exploration.

Atmospheric eating

Even if the shopping doesn’t interest you, the bevy of open-air coffee shops, wine bars, and restaurants surely will. The main road and its accompanying side streets are packed with Korean and European fusion restaurants, where one can enjoy an evening out at both decent, and indecent prices, depending on your taste.
Hand-painted signs, covered patios, and stucco walls offer a more inviting atmosphere than the average cement block buildings found throughout the rest of the city. Don’t let the pretty storefronts distract you, though. As usual in a city of Seoul’s size, it’s important to look both up and down, for some of the real gems of the district are hidden in basements or up on fifth floors.

Some must-see spots include Hello Bar, a basement wine lounge with one of the most unique atmospheres in the city. Guests can cuddle up with a date and enjoy a glass of wine while lying back on pillow-beds, or lounge on a sofa around a table with a group of friends. Apartmento is a small Italian restaurant with a romantic atmosphere and great views overlooking the treelined avenue. Though a bit pricier than other euro-bistros, you can’t find better pizza anywhere else on the block. Mug for Rabbit, Cork for Turtle is a necessary stop for any dessert lover. The two-story establishment is split into an intimate wine bar on the second floor and a cafe famous for its quirky cupcakes and oddly flavored lattes on the first floor.

But perhaps the best way to enjoy all that Garosu-gil has to offer is to explore whatever catches your eye. If you’re not too weighed down from a day of shopping and eating, Hangang River Park is a short five-minute walk from Garosu-gil. Grabbing a coffee and cupcake to go for a riverside picnic makes for a great way to end an evening.

FYI>

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=1323377
(Garosu-gil, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul | 서울시 강남구 신사동 가로수길)

GO>
Sinsa Station 신사역 (Line 3), Exit 8.

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