In Seoul, there’s everywhere else, and then there’s Hongdae. This is the Korean capital’s center of alternative culture – its most vibrant, most exciting, and most unpredictable neighborhood. It’s the city’s laboratory, its band stage, its design studio, its dance floor. It’s a place for rebels and misfits and good-time kids, where young Koreans come to cut loose. Above all, though, it's just incredibly fun.

This tour will take you through the heart of Hongdae, to its bars, boutiques, cafes, and clubs. Along the way you'll also catch some of its lively street theater and we'll explore the history and energies that have made this neighborhood so unique.

Charles Usher is a Wisconsin native who has lived in Seoul since 2009. He is an editor at 'MorningCalm,' Korean Air's travel magazine, and is the author of the forthcoming 'Seoul Sub→urban,' which profiles the South Korean capital's neighborhoods by subway stop. The book has also been translated into a Korean language version titled '찰리와 리즈의 서울 지하철 여행기' ('Charlie and Liz's Seoul Subway Travelogue').