Travel around seoul #4 (Seorae village)

A Little France in Seoul

When I walk this neighborhood, it feels like I might smell freshly-baked baguettes and wine. There is an exotic atmosphere, an atmosphere to be basked in. This is why people want to visit Seoraemaeul ("maeul" means "village"), a neighborhood often dubbed as little France in Seoul. This village is home to approximately 700 foreign residents from many nations such as the Philippines, Japan, China, US, and Canada - and among them, a population of 560 from France. Seoraemaeul, located in Banpo 4 dong, Seocho-gu, used to be called "Seoaemaeul" or "Seoritgaemaeul." This village gained the name "Seoae" ("seo" means "west" and "ae" means "stream"), this village sits on the west side of the stream and against the backdrop of an extremely steep slope of a mountain. Until a renovation in the 1970s,this village was frequently overwhelmed by floods all the way to the PPS establishment when the river rose too high.

A Neighborhood that Reminds of Montmartre in Paris

Seoraemaeul(서래마을) refers to the neighborhood on the east side of Sapyeongro road or behind the Palace Hotel. To get there, take exit 7 of Seocho Station on Subway Line 2 or exit 7 of Isu (Chongshin Univ.) Station on Subway Line4, and then take the village bus number 13 to Seoraero road, the main street of Seoraemaeul. Many restaurants will attract your attention and appetite, so you may hesitate on where to go and dine. But if you want to know more about Seoraemaeul, take exit6 of Seocho Station, and start walking toward the National Library of Korea. After walking about 5 minutes, you should see the signboard of the National Academy of Sciences and the construction site of the National Digital Library. Take the alley between them. It is a small road off the beaten track that few passenger cars travel through. At the end of this road are the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Arts. Behind them, you will find your destination - a park named "Montmartre."

The 24,750 ㎡wide park used to be a small hill filled with locust trees, but it was transformed into a park in a bid to provide a resting place for citizens in 2000. The park gained its name "Montmartre" due to the significant French community in the neighborhoodand its resemblance to Montmartre in Paris. You can see a view of Hangang (river) on top of the park. If you pass by the entrance of the park and go to the road "Montmartre 3," you will encounter many famous high-walled houses. While the houses near the entrance of Seoraemaeul are newly built, those in this area are older and bigger. The wealthiest houses are scattered along Montmartre Road 1 and Montmartre Road 2 where most of the French people live.Contrary to what people say, you will not often pass by foreigners here. The street is very quiet. I did not realize that this is a neighborhood where French people live until I saw a blond-haired child and a man who looked like her father in their casual outfits.

Seorae Global Village Center (Administrative Office for Foreign Residents) Opened

At the entrance of the road leading to Montmartre Road 1, you will see Bangbae Middle School. The road straight ahead leads you to Hamjibak Intersection, Bangbaedong. Make a right from there. Both sides of the road and alleys are crowded with all kinds of delicacy restaurants starting with the Oriental Spoon, an Asian Food Restaurant. Before you visit here, you had better stop by the Seorae Global Village Center(서래글로벌 빌리지센터), an administrative office opened for residents in an attempt to help foreigners (both travelers and Seoul residents) adjust in Seoul. Pick up a street map while you are there. This is the third Global Village Center established in the capital city, following the establishment of Yeonnam-dong Center at Mapo-gu and Yeoksam-dong Center at Gangnam-gu. In consideration of the characteristic of this town, Marie-Pierre Allirol, designated head, and standing officials fluent in French provide various new administrative services to foreign residents there. The new office issues certificates such as certificate of alien registration or certificate of residencethrough fax and provides essential daily information on getting electricity, gas, tap water, medical treatment, and transportation. Allirol said he even opend wine class to provide a chance to learn about wine from a french wine sommelier for locals and foreigners.

You may presume that French restaurants account for the largest group here in Seoraemaeul, but in fact, quite unexpectedly, Italian restaurants make up the majority of dining options. I guess it is because Italian food such as pastais less costly than French food. By the way, beautiful places serving all kinds of delicious food - from Korean food, Chinese food, Japanese food, to Belgium food including bakeries and steak houses - are in abundance here. You can get more information on these restaurants and their locations by referring to the street map offered by the Global Village Center. Seoraemaeul is famous for its wine shops too. What is unique about the wine bars in this village is that they also sell flowers. Of course, it is partly because wine and flowers go well with each other, but more than that, it is because when people send wine as a gift, they tend to send it with flowers.

A Road Painted in the Three Colors of the French National Flag

Now, let’s go to Lycée Français de Seoul (Korea French School). It was established in 1974 and moved to its present location in 1986 from Hannam-dong. Just like the schools in France, it follows a 3-5-4-3 ladder pattern which consists of kindergarten (3 years), elementary school (1st to 5th grades), middle school (6th to 9th grades), and high school (10th to 12th grades). The number of students is 390 and approximately 80 % of them are living in Seoraemaeul. The rest are commuting to and from Hannam-dong and Itaewon. What makes this street different from other streets of Seoul are the French and Korean flags flying together all year round within a 5 kilometer radius of the school and the road blocs painted in blue, white and red, the three colors of the French National Flag.

France recently announced that it would use Dokdo (literally "solitary island"), also known as the Liancourt Rocks, as an official name for the small islets in the textbooks of its elementary, middle, and high schools. It is true that such a move made me feel closer to this nation. Better yet, a French public broadcasting company aired a documentary film last year vindicating that Dokdo belongs to Korea, despite enormous pressure from Japan. I cannot help but have affection toward France. Leaving Seoraemaeul, I wished this street would offer more of the fragrance of France. To be honest, Seoraemaeul doesn’t feel like a French town except for the fact that many French people live here. As more and more restaurants of every kind flock to this neighborhood day after day, the streets of Seoraemaeul might end up just like other streets of Seoul if left unchecked. If more shops and spaces oozed with the charms of France, featuring galleries exhibiting works of French artists or souvenir shops that sell materials representing the French culture, Seoraemaeul would have a unique culture of its own.