Seoul Jongno Stir-fried Octopus Alley

Seoul Jongno Stir-fried Octopus Alley refers to the area from the Mugyo-dong intersection near Cheonggye Plaza along Cheonggyecheon to the Jongno-gu Office. Its origin dates back to the 1960s when an octopus alley formed in Seorin-dong, Jongno-gu. In the past, office workers including journalists and civil servants working at companies near Cheonggyecheon mainly visited this alley, eating spicy stir-fried octopus along with refreshing clam soup to relieve their life's sorrows and stress, and it is known as a street of romance and memories where they burned their youthful passion. It is also called Mugyo-dong Octopus Alley. Due to several urban redevelopment projects from the 1970s to the 1990s, the commercial district moved to various administrative dongs such as Seorin-dong, Mugyo-dong, Da-dong, Pimat-gol area, and Jongno 1-ga, and it is presumed that Mugyo-dong was the most widely known name at the time. Despite multiple relocations, the shops that have preserved the taste of spicy stir-fried octopus and refreshing soup for over 50 years without disappearing moved into the newly built Gwanghwamun Le Meilleur Building after redevelopment or relocated to its vicinity. As time passed, the appearance of the octopus alley from that era disappeared, but it spread diversely throughout the Jongno area, continuing to offer delicious stir-fried octopus dishes and building regular customers to this day. The plump and chewy octopus catches people's attention.