Updated: 2023 – There are some great restaurants near AK Plaza in Pyeongtaek, go try these and let me know what you think! We have included a variety of global food options since the area has a large population of international residents and businesses. About the AK Plaza Area in Pyeongtaek In South Korea, there is a department store/mall chain called AK Plaza. As of 2023, we counted 9 AK Plaza locations in Korea with most of them being in Gyeonggi-do or Seoul. This includes one location in Pyeongtaek-dong, Pyeongtaek-si featured in this blog post. AK Plaza is located in Pyeongtaek-dong in Pyeongtaek-si which is kind of like saying New Your, NY. The Pyeongtaek-dong area is a diverse and interesting area of Pyeongtaek-si. It’s a common area for many US Military to visit during their time off. The area’s eclectic mix of old and new can make it hard to figure out where to grab a bite to eat. To make things even more complicated, many of the best restaurants in the area are off the beaten path. Keep in mind, the following list of restaurant recommendations does not all exist INSIDE AK Plaza. Instead, they may exist inside or within a 10-minute walk of AK Plaza. The South of Seoul volunteers wanted to offer a deeper look at that area and include more than the chain restaurants featured in the department store and mall. The AK Plaza department store and shopping mall is attached to the Pyeongtaek Train and Subway Stations. Near AK Plaza are two bus inter-city bus terminals as well as city buses that provide access to the cities and towns across Pyeongtaek. That makes it the perfect place to meet up with others from out of town and it makes it an area with many diverse types of food. Parking Near AK Plaza I recommend parking at one of the public parking lots in Pyeongtaek. I do not recommend parking in the AK Parking Lot unless you plan on spending money in AK Plaza since it is the most expensive parking in the area. Parking all day can be around 75,000 at AK Plaza but only about 8,000 won in a Public Parking Lot. I am including my favorite Public Parking lot near AK Plaza. However, if you ARE planning on shopping, eating, or watching a movie inside AK Plaza then parking isn’t expensive because it will be validated. Make sure to take a picture of your car’s license plate number to show the cashier so you can get your parking validated. IMPORTANT FOR US MILITARY: You will need a Korean debit or credit card to park in many of the parking garages in Pyeongtaek. Therefore, US Military may need to park at AK Plaza if they do not have a Korean bank account. Most of the public parking garages in Pyeongtaek-si do not take foreign credit or debit cards. 10 Restaurants I recommend near AK Plaza Now that we have covered a few of the little details about eating near Pyeongtaek, here are some of the spots I return to again and again. This list includes American, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Indian choices so that you have a nice selection for anyone visiting from out of town to choose from. Weekend Only Option: Honorable Mention Issues Paying with a Foreign Card? Some US Military affiliated people have trouble enjoying areas of Korea because they don’t have a Korean bank account. If you have this trouble, many US military-affiliated people can apply for a bank account with their passport, military orders (maybe you don’t need this but just to be sure), and military ID at the KEB Hana Bank in Pyeongtaek. We are including that link in this blog just to make your life a little bit easier. KB Hana has an English language handphone app and customer service number to help with your banking needs. Lanae Rivers-Woods, MAITLanae Rivers-Woods moved to Korea in 2011 where she lives in the countryside with her family, friends, and puppies. She holds a BSSW (Bachelor’s of Science in Social Work), a MAIT (Master’s of Arts in International Teaching), and registered by the Pyeongtaek Korean Times with the Korean government as a Cultural Expert. Ms. Rivers-Woods used her 15 years experience as a social architect, UX/UI designer, and technology consultant to found South of Seoul in 2015. South of Seoul is a volunteer organization that leverages technological tools to mitigate cultural dissonance in multi-cultural communities. Through South of Seoul, Ms. Rivers-Woods works with independent volunteers, non-profit organizations, businesses, local & federal government, universities, and US military organizations to develop solutions to support English speaking international residents in rural South Korea. Additionally, Ms. Rivers-Woods founded the South of Seoul smart phone app available for Google Play and iPhone. The app provides information a resources for those living and traveling in South Korea. When she isn’t in South of Seoul development meetings or working her day job, Ms. Rivers-Woods loves to be outside at skate parks, the beach, or playing in the mountains. www.southofseoul.net

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Updated in 2021: If South of Seoul is going to do date night blogs we are going to be as fun and campy with it as possible. Hold on to your hats and expect us to use the word “sexy” as many times as is socially inappropriate. Sosabeol is easily Pyeongtaek’s sexiest neighborhood It’s where you will find the youngest, hippest Pyeongtaekers on their first dates or looking for their next dates. That’s because there is a ton to do in one area and it’s almost all-new, fresh, and Instagramable. That’s one of Sosabeol’s key selling points, the businesses there give good ‘gram. However, if you are new to the area, all this can be rather overwhelming and exhausting. You go there for sexy-time and instead of wanting to get it on, you want to rip your hair out. You wander around unable to make a choice, get hangry, and end up in a fight. Allow us to play Love Doctor and help you with a few ideas to make it easier! Before we introduce you to our recommendations for some Sosabeol sexy-time. Let’s cover the rules of a New-to-Korea-Date-Night: RULE 1: Check Things Ahead of Time This is one time scoping out something other than your significant other before Sexy Times Date Night is totes acceptable. Do what every secret agent should do and verify information before the mission. Even with maps and addresses, new neighborhoods like Sosabeol can be a nightmare to navigate. Addresses aren’t always accurate no matter how hard we try. Visit the area first and locate the places you want to go before taking your date there. This is going to allow you to maximize your sexy-time and minimize your “just pick a fracking restaurant” time.  RULE 2: Take a Taxi There is nothing less sexy than looking for parking. Ditch this sitch’ and catch a taxi from AK Plaza or from your home. It’s worth the money. Plus, you are Bond tonight so the tab is being picked up by MI6. An added benefit of taking the taxi is that you can snog (google it) on the way to Sosabol. Maximizes your sexy time.  RULE 3: Translation Apps Embrace the translation apps for maximum fun. They’re much easier to use these than charades. We use Google Translate or Papago and find them pretty reliable. Just keep your sentence structures short and organized. Avoid things like slang or non-specific words. These apps also offer a feature that translates via your camera which is great for menus. The added benefit of using this technique is that nothing feels cooler than communicating successfully across the culture gap. In fact, you will feel more like a superhero than Bond. RULE 4: Embrace the Adventure Don’t let all the newness stress you out. There will be things that don’t go as planned, a play you can’t find, a food that wasn’t what you thought. Embrace it and own it. Life is an adventure and there is nothing sexier than a person who knows that. No decent agent would ever let ordering the wrong dish get between them and a good shag. At least that’s what all the movies tell us. RULE 5: Try something unexpected Even though we are going to give you a road map to successful sexy-time, you can level up by trying something new and spontaneous along the way. Grab a treat from a street vendor, try a nori-bang, or duck into a bar that wasn’t recommended. Going off book shows confidence and – well – confidence leads to sexy time. Now that we have covered the rules of Sexy Times Date Night, let’s get started on recommendations. Since this date night is Bond-themed we are choosing places we would imagine he would take his lady of the minute.  Where to grab dinner Where to grab coffee and dessert Where to grab drinks South of SeoulFounded in 2015, the South of Seoul team consists of volunteers on three continents working together to support English-speaking people traveling or living in South Korea. South of Seoul volunteers work with organizations and individuals across South Korea to improve equitable access to information across South Korea. Much of South of Seoul’s information focuses on Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Blogs published under the authorship of “South of Seoul” include blogs compiled by multiple volunteers to improve access to standardized information unrelated to individualized personal experiences. www.southofseoul.net

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UPDATE: Closed To Eat: Le Miel As downtown Pyeongtaek slowly dwindles, other areas like 동삭동 are starting to take off. Sometimes we don’t go near AK Plaza for months. A new reason to try the new neighborhoods is this love Italian restaurant called Le Miel. This is where you want to go for blue cheese pasta or real carbonara which shine more than the seafood tomato pasta. It’s also one of our favorite new date nights since the restaurant sits right on the river walk. After dinner we can go and take a lazy stroll and tell each other stories. Far more relaxing than the hustle and bustle downtown. Address: 경기도 평택시 동삭동 704-7 Phone: 031-657-7288 Website: 031-657-7288

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