The city I reside in has 10 million inhabitants and thus has earned the designation of 'Mega City'. Every city is unique, but broadly speaking there seems to be two seperate species: Inclusive Cities like those found in many Western countries (i.e. melting pots) and Exclusive Cities like those found in North East & South Eastern Asia where the dominant-historic inhabitants or the 'Locals' generally do not readily absorb 'Others'. My city represents the latter. As I myself am an 'Other', it is interesting to note that there are a quarter of a million other Others of which 77% or a little over 200,000 are Chinese or ethnic Korean-Chinese; 11,000 are from the USA with another 4,000 hailing from Canada, Australian or Western European countries. There is a sizable Eastern Bloc/Central Asian/Russian contingent in addition to significant numbers of Others from India and South East Asia.
As an Exclusive City, there are a few noteworthy phenomena worth pointing out. Firstly, there are the multiple diasporic groupings of each Other group that pocket the city. There are unofficial (i.e. real) China Towns situated adjacent to the Konkuk University and Sinlim Metros; ethnic Korean-Chinese and Joseon (i.e. North Koreans) occupy a significant area around Sinlim Metro Station; long-term American expats - mainly Korean-Americans, other US citizens and Military but also not a small contingent of Canadians not to mention the ever increasing diverse group of Muslims and Africans - reside within the Yongsan District of Central Seoul south of Namsan especially concentrated within the neighborhoods of Itaewon and Noksapyeong; Russians and Russian speaking Central Asians can be found in large numbers around the West End of Dongdaemun Market; more ethnic Korean-Chinese Joseon as well as SE Asians in particular also gather en masse on the weekends up around Hyehwa Metro Station. What these clusters of diasporic groupings result in are restaurants, bakeries, lodging, miscelaneous services and a myriad of shops catering specifically towards each specific Other group. As a last note, a massive influx of Chinese tourists has resulted in sections of Seoul - specifically nearby the metros of Hongik University and Chungmuro (Seoul's Old Hollywood) - becomming short-term Chinese diasporas of sorts.
The other point that I can't stress enough is the dynamic amalgamation inherent within Exclusive cities exhibited by the fact that these Other clusters are largely ignored by Koreans - until they aren't. They are self-contained and largely - if unconsciously - self-supporting groupings containing elements of key specialized and unique marketplaces; yet they lack any formal unity and are essentially composed of individuals whose only commonality resides in the fact that they share the same Otherness. In the case of Itaewon and Noksapyeong, the unique food scene and culture on offer have ignited an explosion of interest from Koreans. This example highlights the under-recognized potential of all the diasporic groupings within the city. At the same time it must be stressed again - and despite being a common human phenomenon it seems to be overlooked more often than not - that the tastes, wants and needs of Koreans very rarely all line-up with Others, and vice versa. This aspect in particular musn't be viewed as a short-comming, but instead should be thought of as a key piece of strategic intelligence that any group - Korean or Other - must always be cognizant of. For example, a foreign dish or food item like the churro is traditionally enjoyed in certain countries in very specific contexts - contexts that may not be easily translated within Seoul or Korea - but by creating a familiar context for the Korean consumer, as the recent explosive success garnished by the Street Churro brand has with it's up-scale-lite cafe concept, the curiosity that a foreign idea or concept naturally arouses can be augmented by an order of magnitude.
If I may however, I would like to delve back down to those groups of Others residing within this City of Ours, focusing particularly on the neighborhoods of Itaewon and Noksapyeong. It is supremely interesting to note that when it comes to the success of Street Churro in Korea - the most conspicuous evidence of which can be gleamed at the beginning of of an alleyway within Noksapyeong on any given day, night or weekend - is the antipathy it arouses from the Other residents. Why this is noteworthy is simple: This very traditional ex-pat and US military personnel haunt had been for years neglected by typical Koreans for the most part - owing to various reasons - and most importantly within the last 10 years as a result of comparatively low rent and a large population of Others it has been a place where overseas Koreans and long-term expats have been able to safely and openly experiment with various entrepreneurial ventures centering mainly around eateries and brew-pub-style bars. Very simply, a conspicuous community of Others seemed to be taking root and with that a pride began to form - a pride not unlike that which citizens have when it comes to their home towns and countries. The success of places similar to Street Churro - lightning rods of Local attention and new traffic - while of course presenting new oppurtunities in the form of ever larger swarms of consumers, also brings with it the con-joined threats of sky-high rent and thus the inescapable demand to bring in higher and higher sales; this last point of course implying the need to cater to the Local consumer more which inevitably leads to the alienation of the original group of Others and (re?)amalgamation into the Local reality.
This is the current state of affairs as it concerns the continued development of both Noksapyeong and Itaewon neighborhoods. Of course, differences and similarities there are many even between these two halves of the same whole. For instance, the back alleys of Itaewon behind Yongsan District Office, well off of the main thoroughfares, are experiencing a renaissance of sorts as a large number of small shops are setting up business bringing with them totally new foods and attitudes to what was before just a desolate path leading to the Hill of Homo and Hooker. That said, the bearing of both neighborhoods is identical and is inclining towards a shared conclusion. The best example of what that inclined bearing portends can be readily seen through the neighborhood of Sinsa and specifically Garusu Street; put simply a culturally hollow yet still - owing to the images and perceptions still held by many stemming from the long-forgotten original neighborhood that first earned it notoriety and attention in the first place - self-sustaining commercial wasteland with rents that only the largest companies or wealthiest patrons can afford. This phenomenon, that is, Korean-style gentrification if you will, appears to be an unassailable fact of life for those residing within Seoul. While to many this fact will present itself as an impending doomsday when they too will be forced out of their life-long residences or small shops to make way for a new Angel-in-us coffee shop, to me at least this is yet another key piece of strategic urban intelligence that one must always have in the back of their mind.
Across this verbose - if not convoluted - overview laid out above, a very important distinction should have been noted by any reader who has made it to this point; in contra-distinction to a typically unified diasporic community of Others, the Itaewon and Noksapyeong neighborhoods - specifically the diasporic community residing therein - experienced the beginnings of a unification underpinned by the formation of a mutually shared pride based in large part on the contrastingly different - dare I say rebellious flouting of Local tastes and norms associated with the Local - food scene and attitude toward living and working. To make it clear and re-emphasize the point, a tangible thread has been strung through this hitherto simple collection of individual actors thus earning it the graduated character of a community!
