Why do people have special feelings on Abbey Road in London, Piazza di Spagna in Rome and Mid-Levels Escalator in Hong Kong? Those places are evoking memories of the Beatles, Audrey Hepburn, and the movie Chungking Express, because there were celebrities and stories. The same is true for Gangnam in Seoul. Gangnam has attracted a lot of attention thanks to the song ‘Gangnam Style’ by Korean singer, Psy. In fact, Gangnam has long been recognized as the most stylish and trendy area in Korea. Gangnam is a favorite place of films, dramas and TV programs as it shows the latest trends of Seoul.
Furthermore, as many entertainment companies are located in Gangnam, there are Korean celebrities’ favorite shops and special places with their unique stories. ‘K ROAD’ is an urban branding project to introduce interesting and exciting stories and attractions of Gangnam to the world. The first is K-Star ROAD and its theme is hopping tour of K-Stars We will introduce K-Fashion ROAD with famous fashion shops and K-Beauty ROAD with beauty shops and clinics in a variety of ways. Please remember K-ROAD in ‘Gangnam’ from now on. Gangnam will give you more special and memorable experiences.
What is K-Star ROAD?
It’s a special project of Gangnam-gu for international visitors who love Korean Wave, culture and celebrities. As the name indicates, it introduces visitors to K-Stars’ favorite shops and lifestyle in Cheongdamdong, Apgujeong-dong, Sinsa-dong, and Nonhyeon-dong in Gangnam-gu. To provide the optimal tour route for first-time visitors in Gangnam, the map has four zones:
A, B, C and D, and Zone A includes Garosu-gil, the hottest street in Seoul.
Walking on K-Star ROAD
‘K-Star ROAD’ is a real street with all the charms of K-Star Road, winning fame as the main attraction relating to Gangnam-gu and K-Stars, from Apgujeong Rodeo Station toward Cheongdam Crossroad. On the sidewalk, there are large art toys known as ‘Gangnam-dols’ that characterize K-pop stars so that visitors can feel the joy of meeting K-Star indirectly. There are also milestones for entertainment companies of K-Stars and maps of K-Stars’ favorite shops on K-Star ROAD which is a perfect place to start your Gangnam tour.
HOW to enjoy K-Star ROAD!
01 Take a photo with ‘Gangnamdol’ art toys of your favorite stars
02 Visit Gangnamdol House where you can see and buy all Gangnamdols
03 KVisit the favorite shops of stars marked on the map of K-Star ROAD or the K-Star ROAD guidebook in Gangnamdol HAUS
04 Find entertainment companies of K-Stars by looking at the milestones
05 Take a rest while looking at pictures of stars in the Kiosk zone
Shop Selection Process
Compilation of candidates
01 » Recommendations from celebrities
Celebrities from 10 entertainment companies took part in the survey.
02 » Recommendations through K-Star fan sites
Selections were made based on the reports of fre-quent celebrity sightings on fan sites.
03 » Recommendations from trendsetters
Shops recommended by fifteen trendsetters including Kim Hyeonju, editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan, Kim Eunjeong, editor-in-chief of CéCi, as well as creative di-rector Jeong Yungi and fashion designer, Kye Hanhee.
Interviews and field inspections
Step 1 Editors from D.gram conducted phone interviews with recommended shops.
Step 2 The editor visited selected shops from Step 1 with a Gangnam-gu Office staff for inspections.
Final selection
Final selections were made based on an assessment of their value to foreign tourists in terms of celebrity associations, accessibility, services and more.
Like a K-Pop Star! GANGNAMDOL
I want one!
‘Gangnamdols’ art toys that look like stars
Gangnamdols embrace the characteristics and artistic emotion of GIRLS’ GENERATION, EXO, BTS, and others! They have been created in collaboration with the artist Dukobie and 18 top K-Stars, and named after ‘Gangnam’ and ‘Idol.’ There are a large, 3-meter-high toy rep-resenting K-Star ROAD and 1.5-meter art toys. Their unique designs and colors grab your attention from far away. You can buy miniature Gangnamdols at Gangnamdol HAUS.
Gangnam~~