About Seongpo-Dong and Ansan

Korean cities are divided into districts (called gus) and the districts are divided into neighborhoods (called dongs). Since I came to Korea for the first time at the end of 1993, I’ve lived in three different neighborhoods of Ansan: Gojan-2-Dong, Weolpi-Dong and, since 2002, Seongpo-Dong, all of which are in Sangrok-Gu.

The following map of Ansan shows the boundaries of Seongpo-Dong, as well as our current living location and Nojeok Hill. (Click here for information and a map on all the places I’ve worked, studied and lived in Ansan, as well as about Nojeok Hill.) Seongpo-Dong is approximately one square kilometer in area, but roughly 1/2 of this is parks, including the park at Nojeok Hill.

Ansan is a new city, but the area has a history and Seongpo-Dong means “Castle Head Neighborhood”. Click here for a photo, map and translation of the historical marker near our house that explains this name.

Other photos showing the development of Ansan over the last several decades can be found here:

There are three elementary schools in Seongpo-Dong, each with a thousand or so students. Their close proximity shows the high population density. Our kids attend Seongpo Elementary.

Our apartment complex, called Artist Apartments (예술인아파트), is somewhat well-known because it was the first to be built in Seongpo-Dong back in 1984, and was constructed to house artists and entertainers. We apparently have one or two entertainers remaining but most have since moved away, including the doctors and lawyers who were also among the first residents of this “luxury” apartment complex.

Today, the pipes leak, the electrical wiring is not holding up well for today’s computers and appliances, and the parking is horrendous; lots would like for the buildings to be torn down and rebuilt bigger and better, but in the current real estate market, this seems unlikely soon.

The following posts give a bit more perspective on Seongpo-Dong:

A Walk Around Seongpo-Dong

A few weeks before closing the latest chapter in our history and moving back to the US for a few years, I walked the neighborhood one last time taking photos.

Steven Bammel

Steven S. Bammel is president and chief translator/consultant at Korean Consulting & Translation Service, Inc. A graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington (B.B.A. Economics) and Hanyang University (M.S. Management Strategy), Steven has worked for over twenty years in Korean business and translation. | more about Steven

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