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| Gumiho, a female-fronted punk band, is one of the acts at this year's Hae Bang Chon (HBC) Festival this weekend. / Courtesy of Gumiho |
By Jon Dunbar
The main expat neighborhood of Seoul turns up the volume this weekend, for the biannual Hae Bang Chon (HBC) Festival.
With live music performances held in 11 participating establishments across HBC and the nearby Gyeongnidan area, local residents can expect bigger crowds, more noise and lots of entertainment. But according to festival organizer Lance Reegan-Diehl, the police presence will be scaled back this time around, as construction of a new sidewalk has made the area significantly safer for pedestrians sharing the narrow Shinheung-ro street with cars.
"The logistical support from local Yongsan Police can be down to a few officers just on the lookout for other issues," said Reegan-Diehl, also a musician and owner of Deeleebob Music recording studio.
As a longtime resident of Korea of 20 years this year, he has seen major changes to the HBC area, which has its origins as a North Korean refugee camp and still hides plenty of fascinating modern heritage. In recent years, it has seen an explosion of restaurants, bars and visitors from other parts of the city. Now that nearby Yongsan Garrison is relocating south to Camp Humphreys, the area is going through an unmistakable transformation.
"HBC is now a full-on pedestrian area," he said. "Foot traffic has increased. There are plenty of door stoops to sit on, and either eat or drink from a local shop purchase. And of course the variety of eats has increased quite a lot. As far as nightlife I would say it is still foreign-based in terms of who hangs out late at night, the meeting places and the overall party crowd. I guess unlike Itaewon there is no age or nationality discretion."
This year, pizza pub Re.pub.lic joins the fray, alongside other familiar venues such as Hair of the Dog, Linus BBQ and Phillies. The acts this year range from expat and local, solo acoustic to full bands. This includes newly formed female-fronted punk band Gumiho, jazz singer Heo So-young's band, country musician John Patrick Starling and Beijing experimental duo Bye Bye Fish, which is on tour in Korea. Reegan-Diehl will also play a duo set with Tom Daly and with a full band.
Last year, Reegan-Diehl introduced HBC South, a second festival held in establishments in Anjeong-ri outside the main gate of Camp Humphreys, following the disappearing U.S. military community, as well as some Itaewon-originated establishments, down south to the base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.
On June 1, the third HBC South will offer 11 acts in four locations, including Bear Paw owned by the same people who ran Itaewon's Rocky Mountain Tavern, and Maloney's South which has its main location in Gyeongnidan.
"Really, HBC South is still in the infancy stage," Reegan-Diehl said. "It has worked so far, and as it is at a minimal cost to operate it can continue. I do need to give it two to three years to see how it fares. You stand on the corner and do your thing, and only that…eventually the world comes to you. I am proof of that."
Visit fb.com/hbcfest or hbcfest.com for more information.
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