What is the most famous Korean neighborhood in the world?
While there are many contenders, thanks to Netflix’s “Squid Game” Season 2, one area stands out: Ssangmun-dong.
This unassuming Seoul neighborhood is more than just a backdrop for global hits. It is the birthplace of “Squid Game” creator Hwang Dong-hyuk and his protagonist, Seong Gi-hun. But its legacy does not stop there. Ssangmun-dong is where Han Kang, Asia’s first female Nobel Prize winner in literature, grew up. It was also the setting for the beloved Korean drama “Reply 1988,” and even home to the whimsical dinosaur from the classic Korean cartoon “Dooly the Little Dinosaur.” Add in a cameo in “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God,” another K-drama sensation, and you’ve got a neighborhood steeped in pop culture history.
“Why is the pride of Ssangmun-dong, the genius Cho Sang-woo of SNU doing here?”
In the first season of “Squid Game,” Ssangmun-dong is where Seong Gi-hun and Cho Sang-woo grew up. Baegun Market, where Sang-woo’s mother’s fish shop is located in the show, is inspired by Hwang’s own childhood. “I grew up in Ssangmun-dong with a single mother, and my grandmother sold vegetables at the market,” the director once revealed. “Their lives became the foundation for Gi-hun and Sang-woo’s characters.”
However, Ssangmun-dong does not appear in the show’s second season. In Season 2, the market where Seong Gi-hun visits “Sang-woo’s Fish Shop” is actually located in Siheung-dong, Geumcheon-gu, at the Hyundai Silkroad Market. This market, with approximately 270 shops, is the largest traditional market in the area.
“The village where I spent my childhood had rocky mountains like this one... I came of age looking up at two white peaks called Insubong and Baegundae.”
This passage from the novel “Greek Lessons” by Nobel laureate Han Kang reflects her memories of Ssangmun-dong. Though born in Gwangju, Han spent her formative years in this neighborhood, attending Baegun Elementary School. The school, nestled near the Uicheon Stream and offering views of Bukhansan Mountain, is set in such a beautiful location that its anthem begins with the line, “Looking up to the majestic Baegundae Peak.” The vivid imagery in “Greek Lessons” draws from Han’s experiences growing up in this picturesque setting.
“On the day we’ll be happiest, I will go to you like the first snow.”
If you are a fan of the wintery ballad “I Will Go to You Like the First Snow” by Ailee, you might recognize Ssangmun-dong from the K-drama Guardian. One iconic scene takes place in the library of Duksung Women’s University’s Ssangmun campus, where Eun-tak summons Kim Shin by blowing out a candle. In reality, however, outsiders are not allowed to enter, and men cannot go inside. For fans, Naver Map provides detailed information on the filming locations at Duksung Women’s University. Ssangmun-dong also offers whimsical attractions like the Dooly Forest Experience Center and cultural landmarks such as the Ham Seok-heon Memorial Hall.
The name “Ssangmun-dong” has its own fascinating history. One theory links it to Hyojamun, or the Gate of Filial Piety. According to the story, when a man named Gye-seong and his wife passed away, their son built a hut in front of their tomb and lived there for several years until his own death. The villagers, moved by his deep devotion to his parents, erected two memorial gates in his honor, and it is believed that the name “Ssangmun” originated from this, with “ssang” meaning “two.”
Another theory suggests that the name comes from two Yeollyemun gates, which were memorials for a virtuous widow, that once stood near the current Chang-dong Post Office.
