| Itaewon history past-14th Century The name 'Itaewon' came from a post-town named 'Itaewon' in Joseon era (14C) . Itaewon is in the Yongsan district which is the center of Seoul city. The Han river is located in the south of the city and Mt. Namsan which has Seoul Tower is in the north. The U.S. military base is located in Yongsan district. it's about 10 or 15 minutes walk from Itaewon. Itaewon has become the dwelling place of natives and foreigners alike since the Korean War. The public halls and official residences of foreign representatives. There are many embassies and residences of ambassadors in Yongsan. |
| 70's-after the 1945 Liberation of Korea People began to flock to this area one after another, and they opened nickel-and-dime store selling souveniors to American soldiers to make a living. Afterwards, the number samll stores gradually turned into tailor shops and antique shops. In the the middle of 1970, this area became a decent shopping district for foreign residents and tourists in Korea. |
| 80's Itaewon gained the name of 'international shopping area' in 1983. International conferences such as ASTA and IMF were opened in Seoul and the participants went shopping in Itaewon. Since then tourism has increased. As the '86 Asian Games and '88 Olympic Games were held in Seoul, Itaewon has become an even more popular shopping area. |
| 90's Itaewon was designated as a 'Special Tourism Zone' |
| Itaewon Now! 2003 Itaewon is pushing forward with the various projects to vitalize the Itaewon Special Tourism Zone: e.g., developing origianl Itaewon brands, changing the land by purpose designation, working to be designated as an urban design zone, integrating and improving roadside facilities, expanding and improving thourist information centers, improving public restrooms. |