The Making of Gangnam: Social Construction and Identity of Urban Place in South Korea

Abstract

Amid a globally increasing trend of urban segregation, this article asks why a particular urban place, the Gangnam area in the city of Seoul, has come to symbolize the rich and the powerful, consolidating both socioeconomic segregation and political conservatism in a short span of time. While different approaches exist that partially explain Gangnam’s luxurious lifestyles, fervent real estate speculation, obsession with education, and political conservatism, this article seeks to provide a holistic explanation for the rise of Gangnam and draws particular attention to the social construction of place identity. Based on the analysis of historically and contextually grounded evidence, imaginations, and cognitive scaling of different stakeholders, it suggests bidirectional formations of self–other and present–future identities, highlighting the sociopsychological aspects of place identity formation. Specifically, it explains political conservatism as the attempts of Gangnam residents to sustain the area’s entrance barrier and pass on their exclusivity to future selves and children.

Exploring urban housing disadvantages and economic struggles in Seoul, South Korea

“…Notably, these dongs display a significant density of residents facing the duress of housing or living poverty, underscoring their vulnerabilities in the urban landscape. A salient observation is the noticeable absence of dongs from Gangnam-3 gu, acclaimed as one of Seoul's pinnacle affluent sectors 55,58 , from both delineations. This observation emphasizes the profound nexus between housing and living vulnerabilities and the foundational socio-economic structures that give rise to disparities across Seoul's multifarious districts 15,16 .…”

“…Historical factors, such as government policies centralized around Gangnam and oriented toward economic development 55,56 , coupled with transformative events like the 1997 Asian financial crisis 57 , have played pivotal roles in exacerbating these inequalities. In Seoul, phrases that represent specific spaces, such as affluent Gangnam versus less affluent Gangbuk, reflect individuals' identity, social status, and class 55,58 . A region where an individual lives is one of the prime factors indicate an individual's socio-economic position 17,58,59 .…”

“…In Seoul, phrases that represent specific spaces, such as affluent Gangnam versus less affluent Gangbuk, reflect individuals' identity, social status, and class 55,58 . A region where an individual lives is one of the prime factors indicate an individual's socio-economic position 17,58,59 .…”

Oppan Gangnam style! A series of accidents – place branding, entrepreneurship and pop culture

“…Thirdly, and finally, it is worth acknowledging that Psy's Gangnam Style is not quite the acclaimed debutant as previously thought [7]. This is because K-Pop or "Korean Wave" (Huang, 2009;Madichie, 2013;Oh, 2018;Bae and Joo, 2019) has existed for much longerbut has only been revitalized by the "accidental entrepreneur" with an unintended consequence for place branding a district he sought to vilify in the first place.…”

Rent-Seeking by Rent Concession: An Analysis of Rent-Free Periods in the Seoul Office Market

“…Property owners pocketed capital gains from seemingly neverending spirals in the property values of Seoul. Manifest property booms were observed in Gangnam developments in the late 1960s and the 1970s and these booms further attracted speculators (Bae and Joo, 2020). The 1990s also witnessed land value escalation primarily observed in new town development projects in peripheral Seoul (Lee and Ahn, 2005).…”