By Honorary Reporter Foteini Chatzoudi from Greece
Photos = Bart van Genugten

While I was surfing through YouTube, a Dutch expat in Seoul's mission to explore all 467 neighborhoods of Seoul caught my eye. Bart van Genugten also went on a remarkable 2,000-km bike journey across Korea in 2021 and visited North Korea in 2018. 

Last year, he received the Global Influencer Award from the National Assembly and was named an influencer promotion ambassador for Busan's bid to host the 2030 World Expo.

The following are excerpts from a Dec. 2-4 email interview with this urban explorer.

Dutch expat in Seoul Bart van Genugten's mission is to explore all 467 dong (neighborhoods) of Seoul. 

Briefly introduce yourself.
I am a full-time travel YouTuber (iGoBart) based in Korea. Over the last five years, I've worked on many series, the two most significant being one on North Korea and the other on Dutch veterans of the Korean War. The last two series generated a lot of views but weren't sustainable, so I started the "Welcome to My Dong" series in September last year. 

Why are you exploring all 467 neighborhoods of Seoul?

A massive wave of creators, influencers and public institutions promote Seoul on social media but many repeatedly show the same content or highlight what's trending. Instances include Gwangjang Market, Lotte Tower and Gyeongbokgung Palace, which have been extensively featured multiple times (not that I blame them). 

I often felt an absence of depth in content and thus found this missed opportunity to understand and see other beautiful or exciting facets of Seoul. One day, I walked through a lesser-known neighborhood and saw how gorgeous it was. This led me to systematically explore each neighborhood (dong in Korean) in Seoul to unearth a wealth of history, culture, stories, events, architecture and more.

I do it alone or with an expert who knows the neighborhood well. Being 61 neighborhoods deep into the project, I've realized that each neighborhood no matter how small has something intriguing and worth exploring.  

Bart von Genugten explores the Jegi-dong neighborhood of Seoul's Dongdaemun-gu District.

How do you prepare to feature a neighborhood before exploring it?
Certain neighborhoods remain relatively obscure, even within the Korean internet. In such cases, I recruit a guide well-acquainted with the area to keep my series fresh and show how certain people possess distinctive insights into historical events or stories and express them far more effectively. 

For example in Gye-dong, one of my recent uploads, I talked to more than 20 people to learn about the history and culture of the neighborhood. A guide I pick must know more than I do and offer more than what I can research on my own.

How do you pick a neighborhood to profile?
It usually starts with a tip I get from someone, fun fact, trivial information or historical anecdote that catches my interest. I then go to Namuwiki and other internet sources to see if I can find anything else of interest and listen to podcasts. I also go to Seoul History Museum to see if there's a dong exhibition or book to help me. Finally, I asked my followers on Instagram and YouTube for more information and if this is hard, I either reach out to a guide or hit the streets. 

For instance, I began compiling information months ahead before making a video on Itaewon. I conducted several exploratory walks beforehand to define my focus, ensuring that I didn't mindlessly film and waste time.

How many neighborhoods of Seoul have you covered so far? 
I've explored 61 of the capital's 467 dong. After returning home from filming, I tell my wife, "I just explored my new favorite neighborhood." One neighborhood isn't so much better than another; they all have a unique charm, points of interest and warmhearted people. The latter leaves the most lasting impression on me. 

So what are your favorite neighborhoods?

If I had to pick just a few, the following three would be my choices. Daechi-dong has the nation's highest concentration of private education institutes. The real surprise was student experiences in my video, which confirmed my assumptions about it but also broke a few stereotypes. I gained an understanding of the neighborhood through the people.

Pimatgol Alley in downtown Seoul's Jongno District is a back alley dating back to the Joseon Dynasty. Though much of it is gone, an authentic version remains on the northeastern side of the main street. This section hasn't changed over the past 40-60 years, not the stores, owners, food or anything. It gives a good picture of how things were before. It also taught me that what I consider interesting can greatly differ from what Koreans think.

And one of my most intense experiences took place in Itaewon. Many might think they know Itaewon until they start digging for stories. One is that it was the biggest cemetery in Seoul until the Japanese colonial government expanded the neighborhood and moved residents from the cemetery area to today's Itaewon. In the rush, they moved the tombstones but not the bodies, and so whenever homes on the hill are renovated, human remains can be discovered.

How are the people you meet in neighborhoods?
The residents make a dong and carry its story. I love talking to older people not only because they tend to be more talkative and open-minded when discussing the neighborhood, but they've also seen all the changes over the decades. Many regions have disappeared amid Korea's fast development so such people are my go-to sources for information; they bring you back in time and help you imagine how things were while also elaborating on the remaining old buildings and shops. 

Which neighborhood do you consider a hidden gem to recommend to foreign visitors?
Muak-dong is the "capital of shamans" around Inwangsan Mountain, a place not far from where I live. I never imagined a place like this in the city with its spirituality and dozens of people praying at altars or the most random spots in the forest, offering liquor and other stuff to spirits or gods. 

I also believe that all neighborhoods have hidden gems depending on what you're looking for. Those into markets should go to Jegi-dong for Gyeongdong Market. Lesser-known hiking trails are at Bukhansan National Park and in Ui-dong and Jingwan-dong. For back alley enthusiasts, Sallim-dong has skilled steel artisans and Euljiro is for those into a vibrant blend of hip and old. Jeong-dong is for those interested in Korean history and where Westerners first ventured into Korea.

When do you think you will achieve your goal of visiting all 467 Seoul neighborhoods?
At my current pace, it will likely take four to six years to complete with many good distractions along the way. I just published my book about my trip to North Korea and plan to write one on this YouTube series.

 
jihlee08@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.