[Curiosity Lab] The Era of 'Where Do You Live?' Seen Through Seobanpo and Eco Delta-dong

Apartments Where Elegance Outshines Price
Ending as a Happening at Seobampo Apartments in Heukseok
Long Names Reflecting the Desire to Enhance Value in the Apartment Republic
Names That Were Two or Three Syllables Now Tens of Characters Long
Busan's First Foreign Language Legal District: Promoting Ecodelta-dong (洞)

Seoul Filled with High-Rise Apartments Following High-Rise Buildings [File Photo]

Geumsong Hillsville, located in Hong Eun-dong, Seodaemun-gu, was completed in 2002. It consists of 88 households across three buildings. As indicated by the floor area ratio (133%) and building coverage ratio (37%), the residential environment is pleasant. It is situated on the foothills of Baekryeonsan Mountain, with a park right in front. Although it is a bit of a walk, the area is filled not only with the scent of the forest and trees but also with the lively atmosphere of people living there. This place became a topic of interest because former President Moon Jae-in lived here before his inauguration and many heartwarming stories are associated with it. When President Moon left his residence in Hong Eun-dong in 2018, he distributed thank-you rice cakes to neighbors and wrote, “Dear neighbors, it was truly wonderful living in Geumsong Hillsville.” Additionally, when a security guard was battling cancer, the residents did not hire a replacement until he fully recovered; instead, they took turns standing guard and collectively raised funds for his treatment. Former President Moon also sent ‘flowerpots’ and ‘donations’ upon hearing about the cancer battle. It is not an expensive place, but it is a place of high dignity.

Although the era of apartments has arrived, a significant number of people still live in houses. [Photo]

The news that the name ‘Seobanpo’ would be included in a newly built apartment in Heukseok-dong caused a stir. The name Seobanpo does not exist in the land lot numbers nor is it a commonly used term, which fueled further controversy. Upon verification, it was found that the name had neither been reviewed nor finalized, ending the matter as a mere incident. However, among residents of Dongjak-gu near Banpo, there was indeed some hope for ‘Seobanpo’ because it is just across a highway and a road from Banpo. Mapo Grand Xi was originally called Sinchon Grand Xi. Although it is located in Mapo-gu and it would be appropriate to use Mapo, the brand value of Sinchon was chosen instead due to the decline of the commercial district, leading to the adoption of Mapo instead of Sinchon. Areas around Cheonggyecheon use the name Cheonggyecheon, and if located on the foothills of Namsan, the name Namsan is added to enhance the regional characteristics and the apartment’s brand value. When riding Line 2, the stations go from Sports Complex (Jamsil), Jamsilsaenae, Jamsil, to Jamsillaru. Previously, these were Sports Complex, Sincheon, Jamsil, and Seongnae, but all were unified under the name ‘Jamsil.’

In 2017, President Moon Jae-in and his wife were leaving their residence in Hong Eun-dong, holding up a framed picture they received from their neighbors. [Asia Economy archive photo]

The names of newly emerging apartments have become so long that they are difficult to type on a keyboard or find by inputting on a mobile phone. Unlike the past when names ended with two syllables, this change is due to the exponential increase in apartments and the difficulty in distinguishing them by region and brand name alone. Moreover, since the apartment brand directly affects apartment prices, it has become an era where “where you live” is more important than “how you live.”

According to the ‘New Guide to Naming Apartment Complexes’ published by Seoul City, the first apartment in Korea was the ‘Chungjeong Apartment,’ completed in 1937. It was also called ‘Toyota Apartment,’ ‘Pungjeon Apartment,’ and ‘Yuram Apartment’ before being known as Chungjeong Apartment for over 40 years. It was decided to be demolished in 2022. The ‘Jongam Apartment,’ built in 1957, was the first apartment constructed after liberation. The first apartment complex in Korea was Mapo Apartment, with six buildings completed in 1962 and four more in 1964. This place became Korea’s first reconstruction apartment in 1994 and is currently considered a strong candidate to become the country’s first re-reconstruction apartment. The Dongdaemun Apartment, completed in 1965, was the first to apply a central garden design, and Jeongdong Apartment, also built around the same time with a courtyard style, was constructed as a luxury apartment along with Dongdaemun Apartment. The Sewoon Shopping Center, built in 1967, and the Nakwon Shopping Center, completed in 1968, are mixed-use residential and commercial apartments.

A residential area in the city center [File photo]

Brand competition began in the 1990s. Initially, the construction company’s name and brand were combined and used, and foreign words were introduced to compete in brand naming. Early foreign brand names were mostly simpler English names, but as brand names became important to apartment prices, languages such as Swedish and French began to be used. ‘Forena’ means ‘connect’ or ‘join hands’ in Swedish, and ‘Dietre’ combines the French word ‘?tre,’ meaning ‘to exist,’ with a D. Nowadays, apartment names are composed of region + brand + brand + nickname + nickname, etc. Certain words are essential, such as The First (first), Central (center or downtown), Foret (mountain and forest), River/Lake (river and lake), Metro (near subway station), and Luceheim (shining house). Consequently, the average number of characters in apartment names has increased from 4.2 in the 1990s to 6.1 in the 2000s and 9.84 in 2019. Some brands still maintain Korean names, such as Booyoung Construction’s ‘Sarangro,’ Kolon Construction’s ‘Haneulchae,’ and Jeil Construction’s ‘Jeil Punggyeongchae.’

Perspective view of Eco Delta City being developed in the Gangseo-gu area of Busan

Beyond apartment names, changes are also occurring in the names of legal neighborhoods. Gangseo-gu in Busan has decided to name the legal neighborhood in the Eco Delta City area in a foreign language. Eco Delta City will have about 30,000 households by 2028 in the areas of Gangdong-dong, Myeongji-dong, and Daejeo 2-dong in Gangseo-gu, Busan. After a resident preference survey, Gangseo-gu Office decided to name the neighborhood ‘Eco Delta-dong’ and requested approval from Busan City. Busan City forwarded the request to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety for approval, but the ministry has put a brake on it. If approved, Eco Delta-dong would become the first legal neighborhood in Korea with a foreign language name. In the case of Teheran-ro, it is a road name, not a legal neighborhood. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety will decide on the approval of the new legal neighborhood around June. Although not a resident of the area, it is uncertain whether living in the Eco Delta-dong ㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇㅇ apartment in Gangseo-gu, Busan, is truly desirable.