A foreign friend saw "Hwangridan-gil" on a map app and thought it was somewhere in Seoul. They searched the subway lines for a long time and got lost. It turned out that Hwangridan-gil is a street in Gyeongju. Korea has so many names like this. ## It Started Out as the Name of a Military Base It all began with "Gyeongridan-gil" in Yongsan, Seoul. A long time ago, there was a military unit called the Gyeongridan (Army Finance Corps) nearby. So the road in front of the unit came to be called Gyeongridan-gil. As small shops and restaurants opened along this road one by one, it became famous as an alley with a nice atmosphere. ## They're only borrowing the name After that, people started giving the name to similar neighborhoods. Mangwon-dong is Mangridan-gil, Songpa is Songridan-gil, and Hwangnam-dong in Gyeongju is Hwangridan-gil. If you add '리단길' to the first syllable of a neighborhood's name, it means "a place with lots of charming, new shops, like 경리단길." There was never actually an army base on those streets. Koreans find it handy because the name alone is enough to conjure up the vibe. ## Things to know before you go These neighborhoods usually have narrow alleys, with plenty of cafés, small restaurants, and shops selling little knickknacks. They're great for strolling and browsing. It's crowded during the day on weekends, so it's easier if you go in the morning. Also, when a place becomes popular, rents go up too, and the shops that were there originally sometimes leave. That's why Gyeongridan-gil also went quiet for a while. To see what it's like now, check the recent reviews in a map app.