Word: itaewon
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...haven't partied in Seoul recently, you're in for a pleasant surprise. Nightlife in the Korean capital no longer means mixing only with expats and U.S. Marines in the beer halls of Itaewon or downing soju with soused salarymen in the hotel bar. Seoul's gotten class. For stylish, buzzy entertainment, head to up-and-coming Hong Dae, a bustling quarter of cool lounges, dance clubs, art shops and student cafés in the shadow of Hongik University. Look out for the area's monthly Club Day, where a mere $12 buys you admission to 10 participating dance...
However brief the visit, the spending orgies are legendary. In Seoul, backstreet stores in Itaewon sell fake designer clothes and accessories exclusively to Japanese groups, often from back rooms hidden behind sliding screens and false walls. "Japanese are big customers," says one shop manager. "They buy a lot." A tour guide waiting outside another clandestine store is candid about his Japanese clients: "There's not much to see in Korea. They're here for the shopping...
...even extends to sex. In Bangkok, tours will split: women go on to still more shops, while men head off for a "massage" in Thaniya Road, a nighttime erotic pleasure zone - with clubs catering exclusively to Japanese - that is handily located in the central business district. In Seoul's Itaewon, visits to girlie bars are inclusive of transfers: guides drop clients off, wait outside and return them to the hotel...
Until recently, American businessmen working in South Korea couldn't afford to leave home without a little more than their American Express cards. Specifically, they needed cash. But not for hotel bills, meal costs, souvenirs from the world-famous Itaewon shopping mall, or other travel expenses...
...touched Janet Evans. She went out fast in her last race, the 800- meter free, and hung on for a new Olympic record, finishing the meet with three golds in three tries. That accomplished, she planned a shop-till-you- drop expedition in Seoul's Itaewon market district. One old hero, the great Michael Gross of West Germany, seemed to have come to earth. Until the meet's last days, the lanky "Albatross," who dominated the '84 games, had managed only a bronze in the 4 X 200 relay. Now, one more time, he set out to dominate the field...