커먼 그라운드
Common Grounds
Seoul

Another excellent spot in the Konkuk Area (or “Kon-dae” by Koreans) if you don’t feel like sushi, is Common Grounds. Unfortunately, it was slightly overcast the day I decided to take pictures. (My picture-taking skills aren’t the best, to begin with)

Common Grounds is a cool little Boutique Shopping area with trendy restaurants, and one of the only areas in Seoul that I know of that has food trucks (However, I believe they are somewhat permanent, so don’t be fooled), and just an overall nice spot to hang out.

The entire shopping area is made out of old shipping containers that have been rebuilt and all painted blue on the outside. Over 200 containers make up this mini-mall. They have three floors, the first and second mainly being boutique style shopping from clothes, soaps, perfumes to skateboards. Some of the boutique shops change while others are on a semi-permanent basis. The third floor is mostly restaurants and cafes. There is even a space for art exhibits and events on the third floor. While this shopping area isn’t the biggest mall in Seoul, it’s still a decent size.

While the restaurants and cafes can be reasonably priced, the shops can be expensive. I was surprised by some of the prices for something located in a college area.

On the weekends, they have different theme events and sometimes live performances. Because of the events and just the nature of this shopping area, the outside is constantly changing, so it might look slightly different from weekend to weekend.

If you do not have much to do and the weather is nice, give common grounds a look. To be honest, it did not feel like I was in Korea while walking around (Well, outside of the fact that I was surrounded by Koreans).

If you can't tell, that is a DJ in the middle of the shopping center in the afternoon on a weekday.

Exit 6 Konkuk University Station and just keep walking straight; Common Grounds will be on your left.

If you have any questions, please post them in the comments below.

Every time I have gone here, people are constantly taking pictures with the Blue containers as the background. People will line up and wait to take a photo at the perfect spot. It’s kind of a funny thing to watch.

I had to get in on the picture taking too.

Cheers!

As Of May 2022, This Place is Still Up; so much for being temporary.