Kelly's Irish pub helps put Nowon on Seoul’s cultural map
Brendan Kelly works behind the bar at Kelly's Pub in northeastern Seoul, Nov. 29. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
Editor’s note
This is the first in a series of four articles about Gongneung-dong. -ED.
For many foreign Seoulites, the name “Nowon” is more familiar as a punchline than a place. Beyond the long-running joke that the northeastern district’s name sounds like “no one,” there isn’t a whole lot that’s known about it. For most, it’s regarded as a quiet residential district, known more for its apartment blocks and cram school clusters than for nightlife or cultural flair.
But Kelly’s Pub, nestled above a street near Gongneung Station, is a sign that Nowon District is no longer a blank spot on the city’s cultural map. The small, wood-trimmed bar, run by Irish American expat Brendan Kelly and his wife, has become a surprising gathering place for locals as well as the steadily growing foreign community finding its footing in northeastern Seoul.
Kelly’s Pub isn’t a themed bar, nor is it trying to import the heavy, old-world aesthetic of a classic Irish tavern. “Honestly, I just wanted a lot of wood,” Kelly said with a laugh.
The interior is brighter than a traditional pub — intentionally so. “We’re on the second floor and a little hard to spot, so I didn’t want it to feel too dark or mysterious,” he said.
The most eye-catching decoration isn’t Irish at all: a massive wall display of Korean craft beer cans in multiple colors and designs, which has become a photo zone of sorts among visitors.
Cans are stacked up in a wall display at Kelly's Pub in northeastern Seoul, Nov. 29. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar
The Irish elements have a quieter presence: handmade signs with Irish expressions, a map of Northern Ireland brought by his father, art from his cousin’s Irish design company and a small photo of Kelly’s grandparents tending their own bar, the Rowan Arms, in Ahoghill, Northern Ireland, in 1972.
“They collected milk jugs from all over Ireland and hung them from the ceiling,” he said. “I guess my can collection is my modern version of that.”
A life shaped by two worlds
Kelly grew up in New York City, but Ireland was always a constant presence. His father was born in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, one of nine siblings, and emigrated to the U.S. at age 19. “My dad was in an Irish carpenter’s union, my mom had lots of Irish friends," Kelly said. “I was always around Irish people.”
But New York’s cultural mosaic shaped him just as much. He grew up in Spanish Harlem, surrounded by Puerto Rican and Black communities. Kelly would later go on to study abroad in Limerick, deepening his connection to his Irish roots. It was a connection that unexpectedly led him to Korea.
“I came here on a six-week summer work-and-study exchange through Dankook University," he said. "Honestly, I didn’t know anything about Korea. I just thought, ‘Why not travel after graduation?’”
That trip eventually turned into a career. After completing his degree, Kelly moved to Korea to teach English. “After five years of teaching English in Korea, I finally got my F visa and was able to work outside of teaching,” he said.
As a way to prepare for his own venture, he spent two years at the iconic Queen’s Guard pub in central Seoul. There, he got an education in bartending and, as he puts it, “the skills of the gab and banter” — the lifeblood of any pub culture. “It was there that I learned everything I know about making, pouring and serving drinks,” Kelly said.
Building a pub where ‘no one’ is turned away
For Kelly, opening a bar in Nowon — far from the expat hubs of Itaewon, Gangnam or Hongdae — wasn’t a strategic decision. It was simply home.
“My wife grew up here,” he said. “I lived all around Nowon — Madeul, Sanggye, Junggye, Hagye — but funnily enough never in Gongneung. I’d pass by on my bike and think the area had a good vibe.”
It was a real estate agent’s suggestion that eventually led him to a place near Gongneung Station. Kelly’s Pub opened soon after.
His vision was simple: a pub combining bits of New York and Ireland in a way that’s relatable for the neighborhood. One can find shepherd’s pie on the menu alongside Korean bar staples, and while Kelly resisted selling soju at first, he eventually gave in. “I learned that even if you don’t sell a lot, a bar is not a bar in Korea without soju.”
Kelly said his Irish American roots shaped the atmosphere he wanted to build. “Irish pubs aren’t just drinking spots,” he explained. “They’ve always been community spaces — places for storytelling, laughter and connection. I wanted to bring that feeling here, to a neighborhood where foreigners and locals can actually mingle.”
A neighborhood pub for a global community
Despite being foreign-run, Kelly’s Pub is overwhelmingly local — about 95 percent of his customers are Korean. The bar serves as a social hub for nearby Seoul National University of Science and Technology, attracting both students and professors, but its reach extends further. “We get young couples on dates, older men out for the night, families with kids and foreigners from all over the world,” Kelly said.
Nowon’s foreign population, while still small, is visibly growing — a trend reflected in the steady rise of foreign-run businesses in the area. “I know two other foreigners running places right around the corner,” Kelly noted. “Seeing them succeed is a boost for all of us. I think Nowon is a microcosm of Seoul — and Korea — as more people settle here long-term.”
Kelly occasionally hosts pub crawls or monthly specials and hopes to introduce trivia nights in the future. He admitted that the biggest challenge for the pub since its opening has been seasonality. “We rely a lot on the university. During vacations, it gets quiet.”
There’s another obstacle in the form of certain cultural expectations. “People want hot soup in winter,” he laughed. “I’m working on that.”
Changing shape of Seoul’s foreign community
Kelly has witnessed dramatic shifts in Seoul’s foreign population since his arrival. “There are more foreigners staying longer, taking their jobs seriously, learning Korean, wanting to build lives here,” he said. “It’s not just a one-year adventure anymore.”
His advice to foreign residents considering opening a business? “Just do it. I was shocked at how easy it was compared to New York — a few papers, certificates, a bank account. Very little red tape.”
As for the growing visibility of Irishness globally — reflected in the recent Netflix historical drama “House of Guinness,” which revisits the Guinness family’s complex role in Irish history — Kelly’s Pub stands as a quieter, more lived-in expression of heritage, built not on romance or spectacle but on community and the simple pleasure of gathering over a drink.
A wall at Kelly's Pub displays Guinness paraphernalia and a map of Northern Ireland front and center. Courtesy of Brendan Kelly
In a district long dismissed as “No One,” Kelly’s Pub offers proof that someone — many someones, in fact — are building lives, businesses, friendships and cross-cultural ties north of the Han River. And that, Kelly says, is exactly the kind of place where an Irish pub should thrive.
Follow @kellyspubkorea for more information.
Alice Hong is a freelance writer and comedian based in Seoul. Follow her at @hippohong on Instagram.