The low-rise buildings of Seogyo 365 run through the middle of Eoulmadang-ro, which is built over the old tracks of the line that fed the Danginri Thermal Power Plant – seen in the distance. / Photo by Jon Dunbar

Any walk around Hongdae, western Seoul’s renowned enclave of nightlife, shopping and music, eventually crosses paths with Eoulmadang-ro, a wide pedestrian passage that serves as the central nervous system for the branching streets, transmitting signals to and from contemporary Korea’s youth culture. 

Few people realize that this street owes its existence to a long-defunct historic train line. Don’t confuse this with the Gyeongui Line, the more recent project to place an active rail line underground and build a park overhead. The history of Eoulmadang-ro’s rail origins is older and buried even deeper. It happened so long ago and developed over such a long period of time that there are only a few traces left. 

Today, the street is mostly lined with various restaurants, shops, noraebangs, escape rooms and other previously unimagined rooms/bangs. On a typical day or night it’s crowded with street artists performing in front of rapt crowds, as well as stalls offering anything from tteokbokki and cotton candy to tarot readings. The walkway isn’t a direct route to anywhere such as nearby Hongik University (abbreviated in Korean as Hongdae, hence the region’s name). Rather, it stretches from Gyeongui Line Book Street in the north, 1.5 kilometers south almost, but not quite, to the river. A power plant stands in the way. 

Starting way back in 1929, anthracite coal-laden trains moved through here on the Danginri Line. They fed the Danginri Thermal Power Plant, the first of its kind in the country. The plant has since been reconfigured as the world’s first large-scale, underground urban power plant to reduce its visibility while maintaining its supply of energy to the surrounding neighborhoods. 

There are only a few traces remaining of the street’s past life. For one 220-meter-long stretch, the busiest segment of the whole road, it forks in two on either side of a narrow row of buildings. This clump of one-to three-floor buildings is now called Seogyo 365. It dates back to the 1970s when they sat along tracks and were a low-rent haven. They have served many purposes over the decades and are a well-loved landmark of the local community, preserving some of the area’s offbeat charm and housing a variety of restaurants, shops and even fortune tellers. 

As both transportation infrastructure and power-generation technology advanced, the train line became less useful, closing to passengers in 1975 and to freight in 1980. The opening of Seoul Metro Line 2 in 1984 brought new vibrancy to the area. Eoulmadang-ro has since been used as a filming location in dozens of movies and TV dramas, and has gone by many names, including Walking Street, Shopping Street and Parking Lot Street. 

To ease the congestion caused by pedestrians and cars using the same space, a 175-meter stretch between Seogyo 365 and Jandari-ro was given completely over to pedestrians and renamed Hongdae Festival Street in 2020.

When walking through Hongdae and passing this street, it’s fun to marvel over how massive urban infrastructure led to the creation of this unique space and the rise of its very special community.

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