[Yongwadae Changed Commercial Districts] "People in suits come in and talk about politics" Yongsan Commercial District is Changing

Old Shops and Yongridan-gil MZ Restaurants
A Meeting Place for Cheongwadae Staff

Adapting to Market Trends
Created Rooms to Target Group Customers

Parking Expansion Plans Not Yet Decided

An alley behind Exit 1 of Samgakji Station on Seoul Subway Line 4, located in the Cheongwadae commercial district.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] "Originally, this was a place where local residents and nearby office workers would come to eat, but now people in suits come in and talk about politics, so we think they must be from Cheongwadae." Kim, the owner of a restaurant operating in Yongsan-dan-gil near Samgakji Station on Seoul Subway Line 4, recently feels the presence of 'Yongwa-dae (Yongsan + Cheongwadae)' through the customers entering his store. Kim said, "Security guards in black suits often come and eat here," adding, "Nearby office workers wear business casual, so they stand out immediately among them."

With the advent of the Yongwa-dae era, the surrounding commercial district has also undergone changes. Old establishments where neighborhood elders and nearby office workers enjoy a glass of soju, as well as popular restaurants favored by the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z), have quietly transformed into 'hot spots' for Cheongwadae personnel such as reporters and secretaries. Many of these places have old buildings or were originally designed targeting people in their 20s and 30s, so they lack rooms or partitions suitable for meetings among political figures. The only exception is the upscale restaurant in the Amorepacific headquarters building near Sinyongsan Station on Seoul Subway Line 4. There is no proper place to have a quiet meal or meeting.

A political insider said, "Currently, the internal restaurant at Cheongwadae is under renovation, so there is no suitable place to eat and meet," adding, "Since the commercial district around Cheongwadae has not developed steadily like in Samcheong-dong, we have no choice but to use the existing commercial areas," and "If you want to eat sitting close to an old establishment or have a quiet conversation, you can only use the upscale restaurant in the Amorepacific building near Sinyongsan Station."

In response, restaurants opening near Cheongwadae and Yongsan-dan-gil are considering installing rooms during the interior construction stage to accommodate group guests from Cheongwadae. Kim, a self-employed person in his 30s who will open a grilled meat restaurant in Yongsan-dan-gil in June, plans to create a room in the basement specifically for group guests. Kim said, "I heard about the Cheongwadae relocation during the construction phase. Since there is a need to accommodate group guests, I decided to create a room in the basement as well," adding, "This place is already a well-performing area as Yongsan-dan-gil, and with Cheongwadae moving in, I expect even more customers."

Additionally, the need for valet parking spaces for vans and expansion of public parking lots has been raised. Currently, the nearby parking lots consist only of the public parking lot behind Samgakji Station and two private parking lots. However, these are located in alleys, making it difficult to secure parking spaces. So far, there are no plans for expansion. A Yongsan District Office official said, "We are monitoring the situation, but no reports or applications for constructing new parking lots have been received yet."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.