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Vintage 90s manhwachek/Kpop stores in Seoul?
Just some quick context! I was born in 1979, but in 1984 my family moved over the USA for business reasons, and I have been raised as a Korean American ever since. We were too poor to visit k… Hi all,
Just some quick context! I was born in 1979, but in 1984 my family moved over the USA for business reasons, and I have been raised as a Korean American ever since. We were too poor to visit korea often, so aside from a very short emergency family trip in 1992, and one 3 day stay in 2014, I have not yet really spent time in Seoul.
While I was growing up here in California, my parents encouraged me to assimilate and learn english, so I forgot what little Korean I spoke very quickly; but my parents would try to help me retain some of it by buying me manhwa comic books from LA koreatown's korean bookstores.
I'm finally able to visit Seoul with my wife now and will be there in July! I have two questions:
1) Growing up in the early 90s, my parents regularly would buy me these compilation manhwachecks - they were about 2-3 inches thick, and had about 10-15 assorted comic stories in there, which were told in slices and would continue every month; and as they concluded, a new story / comic would come in and take that slot, etc. Does anyone know what these are called in korean, and know if there are any used bookstores in Seoul where I may be able to find some collectible/vintage issues from the early 90s?
2) Similarly to #1, I'm looking for used bookstores that might have some of my favorite comics I read as a kid - particularly, kkuhbungi by gil chang duk, dooly, and the dragonball series in korean/hangul. There's another one I forget but was popular - an egg shaped robot (with glasses iirc)/computer friend and a little boy duo. Also some mid-late 1990s CDs like seotaiji, roora, r.ef, solid, would be amazing.
These comics have a lot of meaning to me, as when I was growing up in the US and feeling unwanted/out of place, missing my Korea home and friends; these comics brought me a lot of comfort. Any recs will be amazing, thank you! I will be staying in Gangnam, fwiw.
yeah those thick compilations were usually called "oldeoni" or just "manhwa magajin" like the other poster said. the egg robot with glasses is def "ttal-ttal-i" from a series called "ttal-ttal-i wa kkoma" - that was a popular one in the early 90s. for actual physical copies, don't bother with insadong or the touristy book streets, they're overpriced and mostly have newer stuff. try the "seoul folk flea market" in sinseol-dong on weekends, there's a couple old dudes there with boxes of 90s manhwa they sell for like 1,000 won each. also check "kyobo bookstore" in gangnam itself - their used section in the basement sometimes has random vintage cds and comics mixed in with the new stuff, just gotta dig through the bins. for seotaiji especially, he's so mainstream you'll find his cds at any "record market" in hongdae but r.ef and solid might be tougher - i saw a solid cd at "vinyl and plastic" once but it was like 30,000 won which is steep.
honestly your post hit me right in the feels. im a bit younger (born 88) but i grew up on those same compilation manhwacheck too. theyre usually called "oldeoni" or just "manhwa magajin" but the thick monthly compilations were often branded as "bombom" or "win" or "champ" - those were the big ones for 90s kids. issue is theyre pretty rare now since they were printed on cheap paper and most got thrown out or recycled.
for finding them, forget the tourist spots. go to heukseok-dong near chung-ang univ, theres a stretch of used bookstores called "heukseok book street" that specializes in old manhwa and magazines. also jongno has a few basements near the old seoul bookstores but you gotta dig. the egg robot with glasses sounds like "dooly" not the dinosaur but maybe "ttal-ttal-i" or "mashimaro"? actually wait the egg robot friend might be "kong-kong" from a series called "kong-kong and friends" or something similar.
for music, vinyl and cd shops in hongdae like "vinyl and plastic" or "seoul record" in myeongdong sometimes have 90s kpop bins. seotaiji is everywhere but r.ef and solid might take some hunting. try the underground
Those old compilations were usually monthly kids' magazines like "Bombom" or "Win" like others said. For actual hunting, try the used book arcade inside Jongno's "Kwangjang Market" - it's chaotic but has piles of old manhwa and random
Dogdogdog's Secret?
the whispering thing is real but its not about the sauce lol. that guy runs a 2am handoff with the chicken supplier, they drop off fresh birds from a farm near Chuncheon three times a week instead of using the frozen stuff most hongdae spots rely on. thats why the texture hits different, not the sauce itself. if u go back ask for the neck & wing combo off menu, its cheaper & honestly the best cut they do
the thing nobody mentions is that Dogdogdog's sauce gets its body from cheong, the Korean rice syrup, not sugar. thats why it coats the wing so thick and stays glossy instead of going sticky. i asked a guy who worked there and he said they also add a splash of maesil (plum) extract at the end off the heat. that fruity tang under the garlic is what you're tasting. go on a weekday before 6, weekends the wait hits 40 min easy.
honestly the "secret sauce" thing is prob just marketing. every fried chicken place in Seoul has a version of that story. the real difference at Dogdogdog is they double fry in rice bran oil and toss the wings in the sauce twice, once right out of the fryer and again after a 30 sec rest. thats where the crunch comes from, not some mystery ingredient. if u wanna taste the actual base, order the banban half plain half spicy and dip the plain one in the spicy sauce yourself.
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