Several explanations circulate for the name Itaewon. The best-established connects it to a Joseon-period station that provided lodging and horses to officials and travelers; other stories link the name to the Imjin War. Rather than turning uncertain folklore into a single answer, begin with what the terrain makes clear: this was long a passage between the walled capital and the Han River.
Service economies remained as armies changed
Late-Joseon military facilities, Japanese colonial forces, and then the United States military occupied parts of Yongsan in succession. The controlling army changed, but soldiers, civilian employees, families, interpreters, and workers continued to create demand for lodging, meals, repairs, and entertainment. Itaewon’s international character accumulated through unequal encounters in a military city; it did not appear overnight as a tourism brand.
The base economy created opportunity and control together
After the Korean War, foreign currency and goods circulated around the base and supported many livelihoods. Workers—especially women in base-adjacent entertainment—also faced discrimination, policing, and violence. Neither “the Americans made Itaewon prosperous” nor “it was a decadent district” can explain the survival strategies involved. When looking at old signs and basement venues, include the labor once performed inside them.
Relocation does not erase the inherited city
The return of Yongsan Garrison land and plans for a park are changing the area again. Yet roads, rents, business networks, and reputation do not reset when troops leave. Between Noksapyeong and Itaewon, compare the broad road shaped by the base boundary with the compressed residential lanes behind it.