The area is located in Mapo District in the western end of Seoul, stretching from Seogyo-dong, Hapjeong-dong & Seogang-dong.

In the early days, thanks to then-cheap rent, budget musicians and street artists started moving into the ateliers of the Hongdae area.

In the true sense of the word, the Korean indie scene started from the two bands, Sister's Barbershop and Crying Nut at Hongdae in the mid-1990s.

Later, other bands like Jaurim, Peppertones and Idiotape started to play at venues in Hongdae, and the area begins to have a reputation as the mecca of urban arts and underground club culture.

[2] Now the area provides street art festivals and performances, as well as music concerts by independent artists and mainstream entertainers.

However, despite the recent explosion of upmarket brand shops that pushes artists to move toward the southern area near Hapjeong Station, the street still enjoys a reputation as the city's prime spot for indie musicians.

The Hongdae clubbing scene can be traced back to the 1990s and originated from studio cafés and bars in the late 1980s; it has since evolved into a diverse culture of its own.

These clubs have also created a space for numerous aspiring DJs and musicians to perform in as well as provide a wide range of music genres for visitors to enjoy such as dance, techno, rock and hip-hop.

During 2008 through early 2009 they were suspend due to high levels of violence and disturbances by US Army soldiers and underage individuals.

It holds on weekends, from March to November at 13:00 to 18:00 by the host of the nonprofit organization 'Living and Art Creative Center' (일상예술창작센터)[17] since 2002.

Hongdae area is widely used for filming location of domestic television dramas and movies, which include :