Why I Think BTS Got New Digs @ My Hannam-dong Neighborhood in Seoul

For more than ten years, I have only lived in two districts in Seoul, South Korea: Yongsan and Dongdaemun. 

The two have its own distinct character. Dongdaemun offers cheaper fruits, veggies (blog) and apartment rentals while Yongsan is way more expensive.

Yongsan is the geographical center of Seoul, which made it convenient for me to travel to any part of the city. I just cross the Hannam Bridge and I'd be in the Gangnam District; one five-minute bus ride through the Namsan Tunnel No. 1 and I'd be in Myeongdong. Another 20-minute subway ride from Hannam Station's Line 1 to Mang-U Station and I'd be in Costco Sangbong enjoying their KRW2,500 combination pizza! 🍕

International tourists probably don't know that Namsan and its NSeoul Tower sit in the Yongsan District, but foreigners in Seoul definitely know that their favorite drinking spots are in Yongsan's main attraction, Itaewon, which is right next to Hannamdong (blog).

I used to walk to Namsan from my apartment without taking the bus (blog), and Hannam-dong's fabulous, clay tennis courts are just ten minutes (blog) from my apartment on foot. This district though is quite expensive. The residential areas of UN Village (pronounced by local taxi drivers as 'yoo-en-bee-lee-jee') and the neighboring Hannam The Hill (which used to be the site of Dankook University) are among the priciest. 

Hannam-dong's gingko tree lane is also (blog) an interesting spot when the trees turn yellow in the fall and because it's next to the Han River, you can stroll along the river bank any day (blog) or night like I used to.

And that's where the Korean boy band BTS reportedly moved to. 

According to a recent news article, their new apartment costs KRW 7.4 billion, or more than US$7 million, but then, the report says they're just renting. It's not theirs. Their PR probably thought fans or online readers would be impressed by dropping the price tag of the apartment in the news article. 

(The view of the Hannam-dong neighborhood 

as seen from the Itaewon side)

For comparison, the market value of the studio-type apartment I'm renting in Hannam-dong just outside the UN Village is about KRW 1 billion, according to my real estate agent. Theirs is KRW 7 billion and got only two bathrooms for the seven of them; I got my bathroom all to myself. 😀

I have explored the whole Hannam-dong (blog) neighborhood over the years. I got to know its corners, hidden alleys, and trails, except, of course, those areas not accessible to non-residents. And to all the BTS fans who want to stalk them, I know of a spot where you can actually snoop, although I think I might get into trouble if I actually share it. I might get booted out from the neighborhood! 😆

(Hannam The Hill is right behind the 

brown building on the left of the photo)

I was suspicious when I first read about this BTS article. No management company would disclose where its band lives unless there's a reason why. 

I think the real reason is purely about branding. Because if security or exclusivity is the main reason, there are other apartments in other areas of Seoul that could provide that. 

Hannam The Hill, according to another news article, has the most expensive apartment in the whole of Korea, which makes it sound really luxurious. This alone, in my opinion, gives management the reason to overprice BTS merchandise and talent fee because, as we all know, all Korean boy and girl bands, including BTS, have a limited shelf life. As these so-called 'talents' were just manufactured, they have expiration dates. Think 2AM, Miss A, 2NE1, and Wonder Girls. 

So, to probably give the BTS brand an air of upmarket-y or very upscale, their residence at Hannam The Hill was disclosed because if it's privacy they were after, they wouldn't have leaked, disclosed or even discussed their new digs' location. Taeyang of Big Bang, I was told, lives in Hannam-dong and I know where his apartment is, but I haven't really heard his management broadcast it everywhere. 😏

In the Hannam-dong gym where I used to go, I have seen familiar K-pop faces like Minwoo of Shinhwa and a few other tall guys who looked like from another boy band. But since I am not into K-pop, I just ignored them while I tried to finish my 30-minute routine on the treadmill. But I must say, they have better abs than everyone else in the room. 😄

So, do you think if you live in Hannam-dong you'd bump into these celebrities? Maybe.😏