Euljiro is an industrial maze in the center of Seoul. For decades, this neighborhood was the city's manufacturing engine. If you walk the streets today, you will still pass printing presses, metalworkers, and hardware stores. The local joke is that if you dig through the alleys of Euljiro, you can find the parts to build a tank.
But recently, a second neighborhood has grown inside the first one. Locals call it Hipjiro. Young artists and chefs moved into the empty spaces above the workshops. They rarely put up big signs. To find a speakeasy or an amazing cafe, you have to play hide and seek. You might wander down a narrow alley, look for a tiny sticker on a rusted door, and climb a dim concrete staircase. At the top, you open the door to a crowded, beautiful room.
Down on the street level, the neighborhood transforms after dark. The delivery trucks leave, and places like Nogari Alley shut down to traffic. Hundreds of plastic tables are set out. Thousands of people sit shoulder to shoulder, drinking draft beer and eating roasted dried fish.
