Sillim-dong Gosichon
Average 40.000 date expense of university students; is there any way to reduce it? Nowadays, price index is very unstable, and most students are afraid to see their bills. Either you go on a date or hang out with friends; money easily finds a way out of the wallet. One of the reasons for high expenditure can be attributed to having a meal or dessert If you have trouble dealing with financial abilities, how about going to Sillim-dong Gosichon? No need to worry about the money!
Gosichon: If the word ‘Gosichon’ pops up, most Koreans call out “Sillim-dong Gosichon”. If people say they live in Silling-dong, it would mean they are preparing for the bar exam (Gosi means an ‘exam’). Recently, the system of bar examination and the Foreign Service examination changed, however, Silling-dong Gosichon still remains as the ‘Mecca of Gosi’. Ever since Gosichon prospered, this place has become full of people with dreaming to gain prestige and fame. The beginning starts from 1975. When the Seoul National University relocated to ‘Gwanak-gu (sillim-dong is located in ‘Gwanak’ borough)’, the whole area of Sillim-dong became a place full of boarding houses. In 1980, students preparing for the bar exam nation-wide gathered to this place, and next thing you know, this place became known for ‘Gosi’. Sillim 9-dong, so called ‘Nok-du Avenue’ has become one of the biggest place for ‘Gosi’ and this has let the other areas to become one.
A description of the surroundings
‘Gosichon’. The word ‘Gosichon’ is just simple as that. As soon as you enter into Gosichon, you can notice Gosi Academy, study rooms, bookstores only carrying Gosi books, and students taking a rest outside the building inhaling smoke of cigarettes. However, you can find in these circumstances. You will find surprisingly cheap and diversified food that you can hardly find in the center of Seoul, and the thing you can only find in your memory. This kind of place is “Gosichon”.
How to get there:
Sillim-dong Gosichon is positioned nearby the Sillim Station.
Subway+Bus: Take subway from Heoksuk and get off at Nodeul -> take bus 152 and get off at Samsung-dong community center. (not recommended)
Take subway line 2, and get off at Sillim station -> go to exit 3 and take a bus heading Seoul Univ(5525A, 5516, Gwanak 05, Gwanak 09) and get off at Samsung-dong community center(not recommended)
Bus: Take bus 5517 from the front gate and get off at Samsung-dong community center (recommended)
If you have got off at the Samsung-dong Community Center, you will see a collective housing area on your left and a collective building area on your right. Cross the road to the right, and head straight through the alley.
Eatery
Limitless tteokbokki
(Tteokbokki is rice cakes in hot sauce)
If you love tteokbokki, visit this place “Dding Ddong Zeok-suk Tteokbokki”. A total of 5,900 must be paid in advance, and the price includes a deposit of 1,000. If you do not leave food, you get your deposit back. The biggest merit of this place is that you get to choose what kind you want to eat. You get to choose the ingredients you want to put and you can enjoy deep fried vegetables, fish cake, etc. Also, kindness and services that workers provide you more joy. CAH personally recommends this place.
How to eat: Put as much as ingredient you want into the pot -> bring the sauce from the counter -> wait for tteokbokki to be cooked while you enjoy other food -> eat, and eat again and add rice to it -> if you have finished eating, bring the pot to the counter
Alchon
Alchon is placed just across “Dding Ddong Zeok-suk Tteokbokki”. This place provides ‘Albab(rice mixed with vegetables and fish eggs) in a cheap price and a varied taste. Faint flavor, sweet flavor, real hot flavor, curry flavor, etc, a total of 7 tastes can be chosen. It can be taken out in a box so you can enjoy it in the nearby park or other places. (CAH recommends taking out a menu and eating it with tteokbokki just across the street)
Dessert
Hand-made Waffle Specialty Store, “Fog’n”
You can enjoy the basic waffle at the price of 1,000. If you add ice-cream or waffle cream to it , extra 500 be paid. Also you can enjoy other types of waffle in a diverse price range.
It is placed right next to ‘Alchon’
“Yul-mae Chung Gwa”
This place is fruits and vegetables store where fruit is grinded 100% and sold. If you order the type of juice you want, the owner of this house picks fresh fruits right in front of you. It tastes just fine and also you will feel healthy.
Price: 2,500~3,500
Entertainment
21century Game Plaza
There are quite many electronic game rooms existing in Gosichon. This is where the happiness of 100 is realized. You can recollect your past memories of joy and entertainment.
Sillimdong Saemal Park
If you want to take a rest after long-days of walking, visit this park! The scale of this park is about 10,000 square meters, and this place is filled with small wooded areas, a fountain, playgrounds, a view deck, and sports activity areas. Also, you can circulate the whole area of this park and there is a trail leading to Gwanak Mt.
A secondhand bookstore – “Hal” Second Hand Book Store
Normally, secondhand bookstores placed in Gosichon are for the ‘Gosi’ students. Students sell or donate their books to the store, after having finished the life of ‘Gosi’, and the books are sold and handed down to the ones who have begun their life of ‘Gosi’. However, in this place, you can meet variety of genre of books, and of course including ‘Gosi’ books. One of the biggest charms of a secondhand bookstore is looking through stacks of books of nostalgia. This place’s entrance is quite small, but the inside is incomparable to what you see from outside.
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In Gosichon, there are many billiards, comic book stores, pc-rooms and electronic game rooms existing. Unlike those in Seoul, prices are more than half. With the money you could play pool for an hour in Seoul, you can double that fun here. If you have time, it is quite worth trying cheap entertainments.
Documentary “3days”
This documentary deals with the lifestyle of Gosichon. Gosichon is not only a place where cheap entertainments exist, but also a place where a crossover of hope, success, failure and pain prevail. Through this documentary you can peek into the life of Gosi students. Before you visit, it is recommended that you acknowledge the real reflection about this place.
Choi Hyuk Soon
xhstar@daum.net