A Neighborhood With Its Back to the Mountain, a Corner With Its Back to the River

The name Bangbae-dong is said to come from either a neighborhood with its back to Mount Umyeonsan, or a corner with its back to the Han River.

Key takeaways

One theory holds that Bangbae-dong was named Bangbae (方背, meaning roughly "facing away") because the neighborhood sits with its back to Mount Umyeonsan, which rises along the border with Gwanak-gu. Fact Another theory holds that the name instead refers to a corner with its back to the Han River, which flows to the neighborhood's north. Unverified Until the end of the Joseon Dynasty, this area was Bangbae-ri, in Sangbuk Township, Gwacheon County, Gyeonggi Province; it became Bangbae-ri in Sindong Township, Siheung County, Gyeonggi Province, in 1914, and was incorporated into Seoul as Bangbae-dong in 1963. Fact

What to look for on site

The terrain of Bangbae-dong, sitting with its back to Mount Umyeonsan
Reference materials tracing the area's administrative history
The geographic meaning embedded in the name Bangbae-dong

Precise phrasing

The claim that "Bangbae-dong got its name from an abundance of pear trees" is unconfirmed. Present both competing theories — the mountain and the river — together.