Itaewon

Itaewon!!!! Also known as the foreigner district for its abundance of foreigners. Both expats and tourists. This is one of the only places in Korea that you can go without getting stinky face from any old Koreans. Itaewon is also the only place where you can get some really good foreign food. At least foreign food that hasn't been koreanized up the wazoo. Like tacos. Thank the Lord for there being a real taco place somewhere in Korea. I would die without it. Itaewon also has a Taco Bell. Which so far is one of only three locations that I've ever heard of in Seoul and the surrounding areas. I have no idea about Busan and that area, but that is waaay to far to go for a taco. However sadly, the menu they offer at Taco Bell is pretty sad. Almost none of the menu is as good as it is in America, but at least they didn't put gochujang in the tacos. The taste was pretty similar to the taste they have in America. I don't know if this is simply because of the location or if the other two locations taste as authentically fake Mexican as it does in the U.S. Because McDonald's in Itaewon tastes way more like American Mickey D's than anywhere else in Korea. Excepting Myeongdong. Korea, I love you, but sweet and sour sauce doesn't belong on hamburgers. This area has a lot of U.S. military dudes in Itaewon, and you occasionally see the military police drive by. Itaewon is actually a pretty grungy looking area compared to the rest of Korea, in my opinion. Not too dingy, but there is a different feeling here. The area is dubbed, "Western Town" Because of all the foreigners and the food. If you want Korean food, this is definitely not the place to go. Good luck even finding a Korean place here. They have a lot of leather stores here and a lot of knock off goods being sold by street vendors. Most of these goods are reasonably priced if you can speak a little Korean, but they'll definitely try to get as much money off you as possible for a knock off Chicago Bulls hat. These vendors also will only take cash, and bartering is acceptable, but there's no saying for if they'll cut the price at all.
Itaewon also features the Seoul Central Mosque. While this mosque's official location is in Hannam-dong, you can see it easily in Itaewon. This is subsequently, the ONLY mosque in all of Seoul. I have also been approached here by Koreans wanting us to take a survey about Korean foods. They were very nice and even gave us 5,000 won as a thank you for completing it. (5$) Itaewon features several English speaking Doctors, so it is the best place to go if you need a serious medical problem checked out. Itaewon also has the infamous "hooker hill." This is a dingy side street in Itaweon that is famous for, well, hookers. The intensity of this area has died down since the 90s and early 00s. However you can tell immediately once you find yourself on hooker hill. That immediate feeling in the pit of you stomach that says, "Okay wait a minute, this isn't right. Better turn around." This area has long been said to be frequented most commonly  by members of the nearby U.S Army base, however this is a generalization as apparently many other men visit his area as well.

Itaewon also holds the taboo underground gay community. Here is the one of only three places that you will find gay or transgender bars in Seoul. The other places being Jongno and Edae. This acceptance of the LGBT community probably stems from the abundance of foreigners who have no problem with LGBT people. Whereas the rest of Korea still has a very close minded opinion towards them. Among all of the LGBT clubs and bars are plenty of foreigner clubs and bars as well, lending to the fact that once again, Itaewon is the foreigner district. However it is quite rare to find any foreigners in Korea who are under the age of 21. So the attitude of this area is very centered around all sorts of "adult entertainment." Bars, clubs and hookers. Not much for a high school exchange student to do except enjoy the amazing food.