Pyeongtaek-si (평택시) is made up of many different, unique little neighborhoods. Over the last 2 years Pyeongtaek neighborhoods have been reorganized, a new address system created, and – often – completely new names assigned. Combine this with the constantly changing English Speaking population that rotates through each year, and life becomes like a big game of Telephone as half information turns into mythical information. That’s where South of Seoul comes in. We are on the ground and updating the South of Seoul app each time we are alerted to a change or inconsistency. We also let folks know of why things are weird and the tricks to getting around these inconsistencies so life becomes smoother. Which means…. always let us know if a business is closed, a new one has opened, or something isn’t working right! We make those changes and keep things running smoothly. Now let’s learn about a local neighborhood:
Introducing Shinjang-dong (신장동)
Many of you visit Shinjang-dong (신장동) every day but still have never heard it’s actual name. It’s the neighborhood in Songtan that’s around the Osan Air Base Main Gate. Instead, you have heard Osan Main Gate, Osan SED, Songtan SED, Osan shopping area, Songtan Shopping Street, Osan Ville, Songtan Ville, etc. It’s called something different by just about everyone that goes there. It can be extremely confusing. So let’s get into this more and talk about what all of these names mean. Here are the basic facts to know:
- For Koreans, Songtan is a large area that includes Shinjang-dong, Seojeong-dong, Jisan-dong, and a bit more out east they call Songtan IC. They call the area near Osan AF Base Shingang-dong.
- For US Soldiers, the name Shinjang doesn’t exist. They call it Songtan or one of the many names listed above.
- Expats and immigrants, call the area either Songtan or Shinjang depending on how long they have lived in the area and how much Korean they speak.
- Shinjang-dong can also be spelled Sinjang-dong in English. (신장동)
- The strip of shopping that is straight out of the Osan Air Force main gate is called the SED (Songtan Entertainment District), Osan Ville, Songtan Ville, or in Korean it’s called Songtan Shopping Street. Probably a few other names out there as well.
- Osan Air Force Base is NOT located in Osan. Osan is north of Pyeongtaek and about 20 minutes from the base.
- Osan Air Force Base is ALSO called K55 Base by the military and Koreans.
- Shinjang and Songtan are located in Pyeongtaek-si.
Ok, so that wasn’t confusing at all right? Don’t worry, you will eventually get the hang of it and learn to clarify exactly what people mean when they say, “Let’s go to Osan.” You will say, “Airforce base or city?” If they say, “Let’s hang out in the ville tonight.” You can ask, “Osan AFB ville or Camp Humphreys ville?” Life will get much less confusing after that. Until then, just hang in there.
Now that we have talked about the confusing issue of what to call Shingjang and it’s parts, let’s talk more about what the place is like. The Songtan SED area in Shinjang-dong is right straight out of the Osan AFB and it’s quite lively. One of the noisier and rowdier parts of Pyeongtaek-si, it exists in its own, self-contained universe. Here you will meet many people who haven’t visited any other part of town. They have their community and their spots and live it up like rock stars.
The reason this is possible is that the area hosts a variety of foreigner-focused restaurants, stores, cafes, and a butt-load of western-themed bars and clubs. In this tiny little area, you can live easily without ever speaking Korean. However, the area is a bit stagnet right now while other areas of Pyeongtaek are booming.
Lately, Shinjang-dong is being gentrified and many of the old haunts are being plowed under. In the next 2 years, nearly the entire area will be demolished and rebuilt as it becomes a sort of annex of the new Godeok city that is being built a few minutes south/southwest of Songtan. The area is going to end up being new and fancy and they aren’t looking back. Samsung is pumping over a billion USD into factories there and development is following that money.
What this means to Shinjang-dong is that it’s very hard for new businesses to move into the area. Rents on what is available are crazy high and the spaces that are available aren’t in good locations for doing business. Korean businesses aren’t opening here because there isn’t enough local traffic since Godeok isn’t open yet, and foreign businesses aren’t opening because their aren’t enough foriengers clients to justify the rent prices. This means that more businesses are being lost than are being added. Hopefully this works itself out in the next few years, but for now, it means there are actually fewer foreign restaurants in the area than one would expect. It’s still worth going here though, there are some real gems here that you will become addicted to and it’s a unique cultural experience to see the mixing of cultures in Pyeongtaek-si.
What is there to do in Shinjang?
If you are in the area near Osan Air Force Base you will be sad to find that there is actually less to do here than other areas of Pyeongtaek like Pyeongtaek-dong, Seojeong-dong, or Sosabeol. Especially for families or people with hobbies. In 2018 a Bowling Alley finally opened and a few arcades opened on the main strip in 2017. Apart from that though, you are limited to shaking that booty and drinking those drinks. Shinjang-dong the number one spot in all of Pyeontaek for clubs. If you like clubbing and dancing though, this is your spot. Grab those friends and go bust-a-move.
What’s the transportation like?
Subway: Get off at Songtan Station and Shinjang-dong is about a 10-15 minute walk. Super easy.
City Buses: There are a few buses that go here, but most folks go by subway.
Parking: We’ve entered the parking areas into the Songtan/Shinjang Food +Fun directories so you can find them easily. The directories all sort by distance so the garage that comes up first on the list will be the one closest to you. Or you can pick the one closest to the restaurant or club you are headed to.
Intercity/Express Buses: Songtan terminal is actually located in Jisan-dong about a 30-minute walk or 5-minute taxi ride away.
Founded in 2015, the South of Seoul team consists of volunteers on three continents working together to support English-speaking people traveling or living in South Korea. South of Seoul volunteers work with organizations and individuals across South Korea to improve equitable access to information across South Korea. Much of South of Seoul’s information focuses on Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
Blogs published under the authorship of “South of Seoul” include blogs compiled by multiple volunteers to improve access to standardized information unrelated to individualized personal experiences.
