When most people think of Hongdae, they might conjure up images of clubs, wild Friday nights, live music and dancing until the wee hours of the morning. But Hongdae has more to offer on the weekends than just an impressive club scene. Hongdae, home to Hongik University, the most famous art university in Korea, also has a flair for the artsy, quirky and offbeat. Hongdae is home to flea markets with handmade crafts and accessories on weekend mornings as well as boutiques with unique vintage and contemporary finds.

With spontaneous performances from drum circles and b-boy crews, and some of the best graffiti you’ll see in the city, Hongdae also holds perhaps the largest number of unique cafes per square mile in the Seoul. Kitschy, cuddly and eclectic – you’ll find places to suit all styles. So check out a few of Hongdae’s different cafes to get your java fix while you revel in the atmosphere.

Charlie Brown Cafe

Photo by Fielding Hong

The Charlie Brown Cafe is a franchise coffee shop chain that may not provide the coziest of coffee shop interiors, but instead specializes in a bright, modern design – sprinkled intermittently, of course, with photos, stuffed dolls and relics of your favorite cartoon beagle, Snoopy, and his gang of friends. Namesake comic kid Charlie Brown may actually take a backseat to his canine companion in this cafe, but lovers of the famous comic strip will have plenty to look at in this cute-as-a-button coffee shop.

Drink prices and offerings are similar to those of your standard coffee shop chains, though they may want to rethink the play-on wording of their Americano – “Brown coffee” – something about it just sounds altogether unappetizing. The cafe also offers food and dessert choices, many of which have impressions or chocolate dustings of characters’ images, if you’re not the type to feel guilty for eventually eating Schroeder’s head. While not the most ambient of coffee shops, the atmosphere is quiet enough to study or have meetings without having to sift through the other background noise you get at some of the more famous, popular chains.

The Charlie Brown Cafe can be found by exiting at Hongik University Station, line No. 2, exit 5; Hapjeong Station, line No. 2 or 5, exit 3; or Sangsu Station, line No. 6, exit 1. It’s close to the playground near Hongik University’s main gate.

Hello Kitty Cafe

	The Charlie Brown Cafe, top, and the Hello Kitty Cafe, above, are decked out with images, stuffed dolls and relics of these popular cartoon characters. By Fielding Hong

Hello Kitty, the cartoon cat that makes even grown women go ga-ga for her cute bow and simple style, has been turned into a lifestyle cafe.

Pink from top to bottom, you cannot miss this cafe located in an alley off of fashion street in Hongdae. Hello Kitty memorabilia is mixed with bows, chandeliers and plush armchairs and benches to provide the most intense saturation of pink and pretty that you’ve likely ever seen.

The motif doesn’t let up an inch: windows in cut-out shapes of the famous kitty give views between one room to the next and mirrors in the bathroom also feature the Hello Kitty silhouette. Even lamps, chairs and toilets in the cafe are unable to escape the pink and bow treatment. Lattes come with the famous feline face stenciled in cinnamon or chocolate and desserts just as pretty as the cat herself are available for those with a sweet tooth. Hello Kitty neck pillows also abound in order for guests to get their maximum pretty pamper treatment on.

To get to the Hello Kitty Cafe, you can go to Hongik University Station, line No. 2, exit 5; Hapjeong Station, line No. 2 or 5, exit 3; or Sangsu Station, line No. 6, exit 1. It’s on an uphill alley off of Hongdae’s main drag of shops and boutiques.

Bau House Cafe

Korea hasn’t traditionally been a domestic pet-raising society, but times they are a-changing. Nowadays, more and more Korean families are raising pets in their homes, but for those who have yet to get their fix of puppy loving, Bau House Cafe offers the perfect solution. Bau House, German for bow house (think bow-wow), has been providing a space for dogs and the people who love them since 2000. They eventually moved to their current location in 2004, and on any given day they have between 20-30 dogs running around in the cafe with free rein. The numbers differ from day to day because customers are also able to bring their puppies to join in on the fun and dogs staying in the cafe’s dog hotel are also likely to enter the fray. You won’t find just teacup poodles and Maltese dog that are most commonly seen in Korea, the cafe houses a huge Siberian Husky, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, and plenty of other large breeds alongside their more diminutive brethren.

It’s possible you may have to wait for a table, especially if you go on the weekend. Once seated, you can order your standard coffee and tea fare, as well as out-of-the-ordinary milkshakes. The prices for the drinks are slightly more expensive than you might find at other coffee shops, but there is no admission fee to enjoy hours of playing time with your new cuddly best friends.

To get to the Bau House Cafe, you can go to Hongik University Station, line No. 2, exit 5; Hapjeong Station, line No. 2 or 5, exit 3; or Sangsu Station, line No. 6, exit 1. It is located on one of the side streets off of Parking Lot Street.

Gio Cat Cafe

	At the Gio Cat Cafe, cats and customers cavort over coffee. By Joelle Pearson

If you think there’s a personality difference between those who claim to be dog lovers or cat lovers, you can see the difference clearly by comparing a visit to Gio Cat Cafe to one at Bau House.

While Bau House has an energetic and sometimes even chaotic energy, Gio Cat Cafe is calm, quiet and cool. While patrons at Bau House romp around with their canine companions, patrons at Gio Cat are content to stroke the glossy manes of the Siamese, Russian Blue and 20-plus other cats that purr beneath their hands. Gio Cat also has stricter rules for its customers in order to ensure control of the kittens’ environment. Only a certain number of guests are allowed in at a time, so like Bau House, you may find yourself on a waiting list, especially on a weekend. Guests should take off their shoes before entering and there is a set of rules that is displayed in several places around the cafe, reminding guests not to feed the cats, pull their tails, wake up sleeping cats, use flash photography or forcefully pet their bellies. While the feline friends at Gio Cat may not clamor for your attention the way the dogs at Bau House do, with a little patience they’ll eventually come to you and curl up in your lap for a catnap.

Gio Cat Cafe can be reached from Hongik University Station, line No. 2, exit 5; Hapjeong Station, line No. 2 or 5, exit 3; or Sangsu Station, line No. 6, exit 2. It’s close to the playground near Hongik University’s main gate.

Dr. Fish Cafe / Heimdall

The infamous Dr. Fish Cafe is a popular one among expats and Koreans alike, if only for its delight-your-friends-with-this-story factor. The premise of the cafes (there are a few sprinkled around the city) is that customers can put their feet in shallow pools located in the cafes and get “nature’s pedicure.”

In the pools there are swarms of small fish, typically separated into two different varieties – Turkish and Chinese – that nibble the dead skin off of your feet, all while you sip on a refreshing drink and chat with your friends.

Although the time that you spend soaking your feet is up to you, most people see a difference in the softness of their heels after only 15 to 30 minutes. To ensure hygienic conditions, customers are asked to first wash their feet thoroughly in special foot sinks.

To get to the Dr. Fish Cafe, you can go to Sangsu Station, line No. 6, exit 2, and walk toward the front gate of Hongik University. At the three-way intersection, take a left and then a right at the Buy the Way convenience store. Dr. Fish Cafe (Heimdall in Korean) is located on the 7th floor of the building with the Fish and Grill restaurant on the ground level.

Cafe HoHomyoll

Finally, Cafe HoHomyoll might not have any specific themes or gimmicks like the aforementioned coffee shops, but it’s worth seeking out for the cozy, inviting atmosphere alone. Even though it has a full vintage Volkswagen van stuffed inside the cafe, it may still be easy to pass this pleasant coffee shop by as you make your way from Sangsu Station toward the streets full of clubs and bars. The coffee shop, opened by owner Ye-Rang Yoon two years ago, has an unpretentious yet delightfully sophisticated mix of vintage and modern style. The unique knickknacks, many VW-inspired, look to have been thoughtfully and individually placed throughout the interior of the cafe to produce just the right amount of quirk without making the customer feel claustrophobic. If the novelty of having your mocha prepared from inside a gutted VW van isn’t enough, the extensive menu of panini, waffles and quiche doesn’t hurt either. Prices for drinks and food are comparable to other cafes and the ambience is quiet enough that patrons often stay for a lazy afternoon to read, study or catch up with old friends.

To get to Cafe HoHomyoll, go to Sangsu Station, line No. 6, exit 2, and walk about 50 meters. The shop will be on your right and the porch area has a red wagon with two “E.T.” dolls on display.

*For more information about living working in Seoul, please visit the Seoul Global Center’s unofficial blog, www.seoulcityblog.com.

A version of this article can be find on the JoongAng Daily website http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2923988

A couple of blog readers have emailed this question, so I thought it may be helpful to share the information with others.

If you want to rent a car in Korea, you should have proper licenses and meet age requirements (it differs depending on type of car you’re renting, but generally at least 21 years of age with an international license).

For more information, below are the websites of two of the rental car companies in Korea:

https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/reservation/gaq/index.jsp?targetPage=reservationOnHomepage.jsp

http://www.avis.co.kr/eng/index.jsp

If you don’t meet the driver’s requirements (or don’t want to deal with the headache of driving in a foreign country), you can rent a car with a driver.

For more information about reserving a driver with your car rental, please see below:

http://www.avis.co.kr/eng/use/driver.jsp

https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/byr/index.jsp?targetPage=Asia_KR_chauffeurdrive.jsp&leftNavUserSelection=globNav_3_5_7&region=Asia

Generally, Seoul’s extensive mass transit system can take you anywhere you may need to go. But if you take frequent business trips or have a family, a car may be a more convenient way to travel. There are many times when renting a car will do the job, but sometimes it is more convenient to own one.

Before purchasing a car, you must have a driver’s license, and be sure you know about Korean traffic laws. People with international licenses may drive in Korea, and people from countries that are part of the Geneva Convention or the Vienna Convention may exchange licenses from their home countries in exchange for a Korean one.

Q. What is the process of registering a newly purchased car?

A. It is important to register your vehicle upon purchase. The car dealer is generally required by law to register vehicles at the purchaser’s request. Driving a brand-new vehicle without registering it can result in a jail sentence of up to two years and/or a fine of up to 5 million won ($4,200). Registration can be made with the city or provincial government and district offices. Refer to the list on the right side for required documents for car registration.

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A customer requested a refund for a pair of boots after 4 months

A foreign customer who had purchased a pair of boots in July asked to repair the boots’ in December. When he asked for the repair the seller indicated that it would take about a week to fix the zipper. However, a week later, when he went to the shop to pick up the repaired boots, the seller asked him to wait for a month because the boots was imported from overseas and needed to ship to the original country to be fixed. As it was a high priced item, the customer felt it was wrong that defects appeared within the first 4 month of ownership. This fact, along with the fact that the inconvenient service of not keeping the promise the seller had made, the customer requested a refund. The seller declined. Therefore, the customer requested help from Seoul Global Center.

Seoul Global Center first made an inquiry to the business’ side of the story. According to the seller, the boots were imported from Japan and made out of specific materials which cannot be found in Korea. It was possible to fix the boots with different material, but the customer requested the original material be used. Therefore, the seller explained the reason for the delay, but refused to give a refund for the boots because it passed the return policy period. However, the seller made a promise to provide the full service to fix the boots as soon as possible.

According to the Regulations on Consumer Dispute Resolution, in a case where a purchased product is defected or cannot be fixed, a producer or a seller has the responsibility to replace the defective product with a new product or to refund the amount of purchased product, unless the cause of the damage was determined to be the fault of the customer.

In this case, the boots were broken after only 4 months and were past the return period. The customer is responsible for the fee to get the boots fixed. Even though the seller made a promise to fix the boots and couldn’t meet the deadline, it was an unavoidable circumstance for the seller. As the seller was trying to provide an extra service for the product, without any kind of service charge, the customer was not required to give a refund.

However, the customer insisted on a full refund of the boots due to his flight back to his country in 2 weeks. The seller did not accept the request, but offered to send the boots to the customer’s country upon it’s complete repair. The Seoul Global Center arbitrated the situation by working to ensure that the customer will receive their item by the promised date. In the event that the seller did not keep their promise, the Global Center also agreed to get proper compensation on behalf of the customer.

After the promised date, no contact was made by the customer. The Seoul Global Center contacted the seller to verify the result of this dispute, and confirmed that the customer visited the store and picked up the fixed boots.

As seen in the case above, items damaged by fault of the purchaser are not necessarily required to be repaired or refunded by the seller. In these cases, if the seller agrees to repair the item, they are entitled to charge a service fee.

Written by Yi, Seong-Ock
Consumer counselor at the Seoul Global Center
Tel) 02-2075-4129

Korea Summer Tourism Seminar

The Itaewon-Hannam Global Village Center will be hosting a brief seminar on travel and tourism opportunities in Seoul and Korea. If you are staying in Korea over the summer and are looking for some good ideas on how you can spend your time, come to this session to get all the information you will need.

Michael Spavor from the Seoul Tourism Organization will be coming to the center to do a presentation about a number of great travel and tourism opportunities this summer in Seoul and in other areas of the country. Mr. Spavor will let you know about a variety of other opportunities, and there will also be time to ask questions related to travel and tourism in Seoul and Korea after his presentation.

◈ Date & Time: Monday July 12^th at 7pm

◈ Place: Itaewon-Hannam Global Village Center

◈ Participants: Foreign residents

You can sign up for this seminar by visiting, or by telephone or e-mail.  Tel:02) 796-2459~60, Email: itaewon@sba.seoul.kr

Standard Chartered Private Bank holds monthly banking seminars for expats.  This month’s seminar topic will be “Buying a House in Seoul” for foreigners living in Korea.

Event Details:
Date: Thursday,  June 17, 2010
Time: 7:30 to ~8:30 PM
Location: Kangnam PB Center (To get there, go to Yeoksam station Line 2 – exit 3 Capital Building 3rd floor)

Event content:
Along with an overview of the real estate market in Seoul by a real estate agent, the following topics will be covered as well:
- Type of housing available for purchase in Seoul
- Current real estate prices and real estate price forecast
- Documents and requirements to purchase a house in Korea
- Getting a Mortgage in Korea as a foreigner
 
If you would like to sign up for this seminar, e-mail your RSVP to Maderich.Mariya@scfirstbank.com by June 15

For those of you who have lived in Seoul for a while, you may have already discovered that there are many areas of Seoul where a particular product is sold in a high density, thus creating streets with certain reputations. Photographers know if you’re in the market for high quality photography equipment it’s either Namdaemun’s Camera Row (for the latest digital cameras) or Chung-muro’s Camera Street (for classic film cameras). Near Chungmuro, you can also find a row of motorcycle shops, deemed “Motorcycle Street.” Going to Jongno will give you a chance to visit “Jewelry Store Row,” with stores hawking gold, diamonds and pearls up and down both side of the street between Jonggak Station and Jongno 3-ga Station. Printer’s Row, Baking Street, the list goes on and on.

What you may not know, however, is that there are also such specialized areas for food. Actually, these food streets are sometimes quite small and often hidden, so some of them are even unknown to Koreans.

Hoegi Station (near Kyunghee University area) – Jeon

Jeon, sometimes called buchimgae, is a popular food among both Koreans and expats. Usually called a Korean pancake, jeon uses a wheat flour and egg batter and can be made with a variety of other ingredients such as onions (for pajeon), kimchi (kimchijeon), potato (gamjajeon), or even pieces of seafood (haemuljeon) before it is fried in a skillet, similar to a pancake. Whatever the ingredients, jeon is typically served with a dipping sauce, a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Jeon is also similar to another popular dish, bindaetteok, which is thicker and made with ground mung beans.

Jeon is sometimes eaten as a side dish to a traditional Korean meal but it is also often eaten as an accompaniment to traditional Korean liquors, in particular makgeolli and dongdongju, as a snack or drinking food. One small street that is known for its jeon is a small alley near Hoegi Station, a cramped alleyway with tiny, worn-looking pajeon restaurants lining both sides of the street.

On the suggestion of a friend who lives in the neighborhood, we selected Nakseo Pajeon, literally “doodling pajeon,” since the walls of the small shop are covered in scribbles and drawings of past patrons of the past 28 years. Here, the jeon is thick, almost as thick as a Chicago thick-crust pizza. Each jeon is stuffed full of kimchi and seafood, pan-fried to perfection with a crispy edge. We ordered the modeumjeon (7,000 won), or the jeon with everything, and makgeolli and were not disappointed.

Go to Hoegi Station (line No. 1, exit 1) towards Kyunghee University. Turn left into the small alley when you see an SK Telecom store.

More after the jump!

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A foreign college professor had made a mutual agreement with a moving company before signing a contract for their services. When presented with the contract, the stated amount was more than agreed. Assuming the difference would be refunded to him eventually, he went ahead and paid the full amount. When it was not returned, he came with a claim to the Seoul Global Center and asked for assistance.

According to the claim made by the professor, the business violated their agreement and created a false contract, so that a higher fee could be collected using the argument that the contract stated was valid.
We first inquired as to the business’ side of the story.

According to the business, an estimate was to be drafted after a visit to the client’s house. The estimate was to be based on the types and quantities of objects that needed to be moved, as well as the services that were requested as well. The estimate was then to be used in the drafting of the contract, and was signed because the client had agreed to the terms.

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Today will be the last day to catch both “Viewfinder” (경) and “Poetry” (시) with English subtitles.  The times are below.  More about the films here.