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Gongdeok (공덕) — or Gongdeok-dong (공덕동), although "dong" (동) simply means "neighborhood" in Korean — is an area in the west of Seoul. Gongdeok has changed rapidly in the last decade or so from a largely working class neighborhood into a significant commercial and residential hub with its metro station surrounded by — and even attached to — a forest of glass and concrete highrises.

If you find yourself based in Gongdeok, as travelgasm.com was for a month on one visit to Seoul, it's interesting to see how others react to the neighborhood. Koreans are well aware of Gongdeok and how it has changed over the years, but tourists and expats alike commonly seem unaware of the area entirely. Expats who are aware of Gongdeok often wonder why anyone would choose to be based "way out there" in a "sleepy" neighborhood.

Expats commonly want to be based in Gangnam (강남구), which is in the southeast of the city. From that perspective, Gongdeok is far away, but it is not far from the center of Seoul. Compared to Gangnam, Gongdeok is quiet, but it is a testament to just how big and busy Seoul is that a neighborhood with a metro station that is a four-line interchange and that has a direct connection to both Incheon (인천공항공사) and Gimpo (한국공항공사) airports via the AREX rail line — could be considered "sleepy."

Gongdeok hasn't completely shucked its working class roots, either, which makes it a particularly useful microcosm to see how Seoul has changed in the last couple of decades. You can see modern, shiny glass highrises and older, more modest buildings in close proximity. There are stodgy modern chain stores that may have moved in last month and interesting independent businesses that have been there since the 1950s in the same area. There still are a small number of Hanok (한옥), traditional Korean houses, clinging on for dear life in Gongdeok here-and-there, but these are disappearing quickly. One entire community of Hanok that we explored in 2015 had been wiped away entirely when we visited more recently and now is a construction pit promising more glass towers.

If you want to see a bit of old and new Seoul, give Gongdeok the respect it deserves; and pay it a visit.

Visiting Gongdeok Market

The most notable attraction is the old Gongdeok Market (공덕시장), which is sprawling and sells all kinds of fresh ingredients for cooking as well as prepared food to eat immediately. Gongdeok Market is famous among Koreans and reasonably popular among foodie tourists — particularly those from elsewhere in Asia — but not as popular as it should be compared to others in Seoul like Namdaemun Market (남대문시장) and Kwangjang Market (광장시장).

Gongdeok Market is best known for its deep fried foods, called twigim (튀김). This assortment of deep fried seafood and vegetables mostly resembles what you might know as tempura (天ぷら) from Japanese. However, the most famous — and our personal favorite among these options — are the haemul pajeon (해물파전), which are fried seafood and green onion patties commonly described as pancakes. However, pajeon are dense and savory rather than fluffy and sweet like Western pancakes. The portion of Gongdeok Market that sells these fried snacks often is called "Twigim Alley" or sometimes translated into English as "Pancake Alley."

Stroll Past Classic & Modern Churches

It's not a tourist attraction, but Gongdeok also is home to the classic St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (한국정교회), easily recognizable by its green copper dome. St. Nicholas is the only Eastern Orthodox Church in Seoul. More modern churches are all over the city — including the largest megachurch in the world — but there also are three attractive, modern concrete and glass churches — Seobu (서부성결교회), Archangel (방주교회), and Gongdeok (공덕교회) in close proximity to St. Nicholas. There is a dramatic contrast between St. Nicholas, which looks like it would be most at home in Eastern Europe, and the newer churches, which look like they would fit in well on Futurama.

Where to Eat in Gongdeok

In addition to Gongdeok Market, other places to eat in the area that we enjoyed at one time or another include 마포진짜원조최대포집 for Korean BBQ, Arisu Gamjatang (아리수감자탕) for Korean Hotpot, and the chain Two Two Chicken (둘둘치킨 애오개역점) for Korean-style fried chicken. Although there are many others as well, our favorite coffee shop in the neighborhood is Fritz Coffee, which provides classic architecture as well as good coffee.

We've mapped out a representative walk of the neighborhood below. It's not the nicest walk in the world, but we've done our best to avoid streets that are boringly inactive without retail for long stretches. It starts with the Gongdeok Market and includes a bit more of a gritty, older portion of the neighborhood with many local restaurants and bars. After that, the walk takes you along Mapo-daero (마포대로), the main street, to St. Nicholas and loops back through some of the spotless new tower apartment complexes and the modern churches on the way back to the Gongdeok metro station. If you want to walk less or you are pressed for time, you also can duck out after St. Nicholas via Aeogae Station (애오개역).

How to Get Here: Take the Purple Line (Line 5), Brown Line (Line 6), Gyeongui-Jungang Line, or AREX Line to Gongdeok Station. The Gyeongui-Jungang Line and AREX line are connected directly to the other two lines, but the underground walk is long, so we would suggest taking Line 5 or Line 6 if possible. Gongdeok Market is closest to Exit 5, and that is where we begin our walk, as well. If you follow our full suggested walk, it ends at Exit 3. Alternately, you can follow the first half and leave conveniently via Aeogae Station (애오개역), Exit 4, on the Purple Line (Line 5).

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