Gongneung-dong, where Nowon has fun

People enjoy the Gyeongchun Line Forest Park running through Gongneung-dong in northeastern Seoul's Nowon District, Nov. 29, 2025. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Sick of a long commute out to Hongdae, Itaewon or Gangnam? Are you coming down from the northern parts of the city? You might not have to make a long trip in search of social activities after all, as Gongneung-dong transforms into a hotspot in Seoul's northeastern corner.

Located in Nowon District, this low-rise neighborhood is pushed up against the edge of the city, stretching from Jungnang Stream to up the slope of Mount Buram. Gongneung-dong gets its name from the royal tombs in the area, but the area is not nearly as quiet as a tomb.

Housing three universities, a military academy, a training complex for Korean Olympians and two UNESCO-listed royal tombs that give the neighborhood its name, the area has had a reputation for being low-key and suburban, yet also well-connected and not overly quiet. Its local businesses are frequently overrun with university students. Gongneung-dong Dokkaebi Market in the area bustles with pedestrians, comparable to some of Seoul's better preserved traditional markets, like Mangwon Market.

Three Seoul Metro stations fall within its boundaries: Gongneung Station on Line 7, Hwarangdae Station on Line 6 and Taereung Station, where both lines intersect.

Taereung houses the burial mounds of King Jungjong and Queen Munjeong. Courtesy of Korea Heritage Service

With all these factors at play, Gongneung-dong area is developing its own local character.

"It has its charm and is perhaps one of the most unique neighborhoods in Nowon District, particularly when the nearby areas of Hagye and Junggye are mostly just apartments," said Brendan Kelly, owner of the local watering spot Kelly's Pub.

"It definitely does not have the buzz of Hongdae or Yeonnam-dong, despite also being built around disused train tracks. Nevertheless, you can still see a good deal of people walking along the path when the weather is nice, and there is no shortage of cafes and places to grab a quick bite."

The disused train tracks he mentions are the former route of the Gyeongchun Line, which used to take commuter trains between the capital and Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. Service stopped in 2010 when the line was rerouted, and the former tracks have been transformed into Gyeongchun Line Forest Trail, a 5.4-kilometer linear park carving right through the middle of the neighborhood.

A linear park built over a former train line cuts through Gongneung-dong in northeastern Seoul, May 22. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

"We’ve lived here for about eight years and in that time, the area has seen a lot of growth. It would definitely still feel slow or quiet to someone who is used to spending time in places like Hongdae or HBC or Itaewon or Gangnam," said Chris Rettig, the American co-owner of Hoi Polloi Coffee Roasters. "Most people who have spent some time in Gongneung would likely say 'yeah, there’s a lot of cafes and not a lot to do.' I think that’s changing, but slowly. It’s a gripe that I had for a long time, which is why I’m trying to make fun things happen with our venue."

People walk through the rising and falling main corridor of Dokkaebi Market in northeastern Seoul's Gongneung-dong, Aug. 30, 2023. Korea Times file

Unlike the city's better-known hotspots, Gongneung-dong's charms are its small scale, its calm streets and its local community.

"This neighborhood is not just our place of business, but our home," said Ronald Munkoah, a foreign resident from Cameroon whose Korean wife owns Beginning Bread Bakery Cafe. "It has some of the youthful, experimental feeling that Hongdae had before heavy gentrification, but on a smaller scale and with more long‑term residents, students, and families than tourists. Cafes, small eateries and independent shops line the alleys near the park and the former Hwarangdae Station area, where local festivals and night attractions bring in visitors while still feeling rooted in the community."

In recent years, the area has hosted several new festivals, including the Gyeongchun Line Gongneung Forest Trail Coffee Festival, which will run for the fourth time June 13 and 14, and the Nowon Craft Beer Festival scheduled for early September.

Dusk spreads over Gongneung-dong in northeastern Seoul, May 22. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

All three residents said that the area doesn't get as much attention as it deserves, or needs, and pointed to questions about marketing.

"I think the whole area suffers from a branding problem," Kelly said.

The area has even taken on the nickname "Gongnidan-gil," akin to Gyeongnidan-gil in central Seoul's Itaewon, which has inspired dozens of other neighborhood nicknames across the country.

"To be honest, I don’t really hear people call it that anymore," Rettig admitted, "but I guess it is still in my copy-paste hashtags for marketing."

"If the branding brings more visitors, then it has value, especially at a time when many commercial districts across Seoul are struggling with vacant shops and declining foot traffic," Munkoah said. "But branding alone is not enough; if it is not matched with protections for existing tenants, support for mom‑and‑pop stores and inclusive planning, it can accelerate gentrification and push out the very small businesses that gave the street its character in the first place."