There's one thing not many K-Pop fans do and many might not know is possible to do unless you're really part of a fandom: visit an artist's restaurant. Many have started businesses around Seoul; often they are partners or their relative owns the restaurant. The most popular is probably JYJ Junsu's parents' pizza place Misarang, but there are definitely more. As an exchange student in Seoul at the moment, I will visit some of these restaurants, check out prices and describe the easiest way to get there.
The first restaurant to introduce is Jaksal Chicken. It is owned by SS501's Kim Hyun Joong and is located very close to Seokchon station on the pink line number 8. He actually owns another one, bigger and on the other end of Seoul in Ilsan, but today we will just start with Jaksal.
To go there, take the pink line number 8 and get off at Seokchon station. Depending on where you are in Seoul, it could take more than half an hour to get there. Also I would suggest going during the early afternoon and try to take the train back early, since Seoul's subways tend to be very crowded during the evening hours.
When you arrive at the station, follow the signs and go to exit number 7. From there, go straight until you get to the first side street. It's big so you won't miss it. Go straight again for around 50 meters and you'll see it on the left side on a corner to another side street.
You might be surprised to face a pretty small restaurant, one of those you see on Korea's streets a lot. There's a small tent outside with plastic chairs and tables, and inside, maybe enough space for 20 customers.
The menu is not huge, mostly variations of chicken, like garlic chicken, spicy chicken, etc. with a salad. But there is more to it as well; Ddokbokki is also on the menu as well as Budaejjigae. Prices go up to around 17,000 won, but the menu is made up of dishes fit for two, so you might want to make sure to go with a friend which makes it a) more fun to be there, b) cheaper and c) you'll probably finish the whole dish.
If you're not sure about what to order and are not fluent in Korean, one of the waiters working at the place speaks very good English and is quite nice, so don't hesitate to talk to him.
My friend and I decided to go with the Budaejjigae, which is basically a stew, with sausage, noodles, vegetables, fishcake, dumplings and a lot more in it. You get the hot pot on your table and finish cooking it there. It was 16,000 won and was actually pretty satisfying.
I must also say, I would not have expected it to be as delicious as it was, since I assume they will get customers anyway, because Kim Hyun Joong's name is attached to it and his face is plastered all over the place, but I have definitely tasted way worse budaejjigae since coming to Korea two months ago.
If you are not a fan but are around this area, it's a cheap place to get very good food with a nice atmosphere. And if you are a fan, then definitely go there. Most of the fans probably go to the bigger one in Ilsan, so this is a quiet place to enjoy the food and look around at the pictures of Kim Hyun Joong hanging there without being intrusive.
Check out the pictures in the gallery to get an idea of what the place is like!
A: From the time when we are young, we have done many part-time jobs in chicken shops, so we said that in future when we become successful we must set up a chicken shop, which we have done so in the end.
Q: Kim Hyun Joong as a friend VS Kim Hyun Joong as a business partner?
A: Hyun Joong naturally does not particularly like being overly solemn and serious, so whenever we meet, he is always making jokes and playing around and drinking. He is serious and hard working when we are talking about the business but fun and interesting when he is working.
Q: How many does the shop sell each day?
A: When we calculate and review the sales volume, I think the shop sells about 100 chickens each day.
Kim Hyun Joong has joined hands with the world-renowned jewelry designer Justin Davis for the release of his own signature necklace. Justin Davis is the founder of Justin Davis Jewelry and has worked with a number of celebrities in the past, including Eminem, Paris Hilton, Amuro Namie, and Hamasaki Ayumi.
The “Kim Hyun Joong Necklace” is designed after Kim Hyun Joong’s “HJ” initials as he was directly involved in the entire designing process. Justin Davis’ representatives said, “Through the whole designing process, Kim Hyun Joong showed exceptional talent in design, fitting his image as a Hallyu star with good fashion sense. We’d like to applaud Kim Hyun Joong’s effort to continuously challenge new areas, despite already being a global star.”
The necklace is expected to be out on the market from mid-December in Japan. It’ll first be available only in select Japanese department stores, but will expand into other markets in the future. Check out the design below!
Thunderstix is the Editor-in-Chief for soompi.com. You can email him at eugene@soompi.com, or follow his twitter.com feed at @eugenekim222.
Kim HyunJoong has re-opened his business for ‘Jaksal Chicken’ where he operates it with his friends.
On December 5, according to NoCut News, “Not long ago our chicken house was re-opened, though for now, our business name still gives us worries”, as Kim Hyun Joong revealed.
‘Jaksal Chicken’ that is being operated by Kim Hyun Joong and his childhood friends from Seoul Songpa-gu’s SukChon-dong has been previously made known by the media that it was a business run by Kim Hyun Joong wherein prank calls from fans poured in one after another, which gave it no chance but to close down beginning last February (2010) onwards.
In addition, Kim Hyun Joong also revealed that the business trademark name ‘Jaksal Chicken’ has not yet been registered, which means they have a possibility in having to change the business name. For now, ‘Jaksal Chicken’ is being managed and operated by his friends.
Kim Hyun Joong stated that ‘Jaksal Chicken’ is created and thought of by him and his friends, but for the sake of the trademark registration issues, they are in midst of discussions to change the name, or not, and in worst possible scenarios, they may really have to change it.
Credits to BNT News + (English translation) ss501ode.blogspot.com
