You cannot find a Seochon-dong community office because Seochon is not an official administrative district. It generally refers to Chebu-dong, Tongin-dong, Nusang-dong, Nuha-dong, Ogin-dong, Hyoja-dong, and Cheongun-dong between Gyeongbokgung and Mount Inwangsan. The term is convenient in visitor information, but its boundary changes according to period and speaker.
What did Joseon residents call the area?
During the Joseon period, people used Ut-dae or Sangchon, meaning the “upper village” in the northwestern part of the walled capital. Names such as Jang-dong, derived from Jangui-dong, also circulated. The modern viewpoint of “west of Gyeongbokgung” cannot by itself explain every older spatial identity.
Sejong Village, another name
The name Sejong Village is also used, based on records that Junsubang—the area where King Sejong was born—lay around here. No confirmed birth house survives, however, so the vicinity of the commemorative marker should not be presented as a reconstructed royal birthplace.
A name changes how a neighborhood is used
As “Seochon” became widely known, more visitors arrived for cafés, galleries, and hanok. At the same time, the living space of long-term residents was bundled into a tourism brand. A traveler should remember that one name can be a useful guide while also simplifying a complicated neighborhood.