My friend tells me that Itaewon is supposedly a high end area where lots of rich koreans live??

My impression of itaewon was a rather run down place with hookers on the hilltop, cheesy souvenir shops and some good local restaurants.

Is there another side of itaewon that I'm not aware of?

tks

Your friend may be referring to Myeongdong. As they are quite close if I recall. I will be staying in Myeongdong next week, and will do a tour of the "Itaewon DMZ" as a reference.

^

Itaewon has COMPLETELY changed since the old days, not to mention in the past three years when I first moved here.

The rich area they're referring to is next to Itaewon, Hannam-dong. Otherwise, all around Itaewon where people live, honestly, is just a normal Korean neighborhood.

What's happened to Itaewon is that now it's a trendy place for Koreans to go. That means on weekends, it's SUPER crowded with Korean couples and friend groups getting their juice, pizza, churros and coffee. The areas behind the main Itaewon street have all been renovated and feature high end, expensive as hell foreign restaurants and bars. Koreans are all decked out and spend, spend spend.

The souvenir stands are on the street still, but honestly, I don't know how long they'll hold out. No one ever shops there and they just get in the way of foot traffic.

As far as local food, good luck with that. I live in a neighborhood next to Itaewon known as Haebangchon. My area and Gyeongridan are also part of the super trendy Itaewon fad these days, if not the leader. There is ZERO Korean food around here. Where most Korean neighborhoods will have a few kimbap and meat restaurants, there are just one or two around here. If I don't cook, I have to order my Korean food from a different neighborhood...or go over to Sukmyung Women's University neighborhood.

At night, yes, there's still the party element. That being said, most of Itaewon actually closes early, and the true all night party stays around Hooker and Homo Hills. It's not sketchy, just another normal party area these days.

Yes, there are still a lot of foreigners in Itaewon, but it's not a dangerous or ill regarded neighborhood by Korean or foreign standards anymore.

That's interesting, thanks!

My first visit to Seoul in 2009, i stayed at Itaewon, which i felt was a mistake.
Have to visit the place again next time I go to Seoul.

Oh they live there, up the hills and roads leading to the Grand Hyatt. Those gated and garaged massive villas. The Samsung Lee family lives thereabouts too.

Ah yes. And all of the embassy residents, too.