Visitors can reach the so-called "Fashion and Art Street" (which has 50 shops for imported
foreign name brands, local fashion designers' shops, and 30 galleries) by walking from the Galleria
Department Store in Apkujeong-dong towards
Cheongdam Park. The street is also called "Rodeo Street" or "Yuppie
Street" since a lot of professionals who are in their 30's are major customers of the shops
which sell even t-shirts valued atw100,000.
The major characteristics of the population of this area include experience living abroad,
financial affluence, and a tendency to enjoy paintings and art products. This area was originally
nameed Chungsutgol for a clean pond that existed here during the Chosun Dynasty. Currently,
it is known as a residential area for the super rich, even though it was underdeveloped even 10
years ago. During that time, poor galleries moved to this area and formed the existing gallery
street.
The reason that this region became known as "Yuppie Street" has to do with Apgujung
Culture. Many children of rich parents studied abroad during their 20's. They returned to Korea and
began work as high wage earning professionals (or stayed unemployeed and just spent their family's
money). They migrated to Cheongdam-gong because of the galleries and
first class fashion shops. The foreign brands, modern galleries, fusion restaurants, and exotic cafes
seemed to satisfy their cultural needs.
However, Cheongdam-dong is also criticized by its high prices for clothes
and coffee which can be 3 or 4 times much as in other places. Another ridicule is that this region has
created an inner circle of high class that is separated from outside. Here you can not find
dalan jujeom (common singing bars) that you can easily find in other areas. A major part of
the population is once again intelligent professionals who enjoy high class cultural life.
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