The worst part about foreigner neighborhoods is the foreigners.

An article in Stars & Stipes, a US military paper, about the gentrification of Itaewon, a neighborhood in Seoul known for its relative diversity. An excerpt:

Many South Koreans said their fear of foreigners — particularly American soldiers — has kept them from shopping or eating in Itaewon. But more South Koreans say they are visiting the area, some hesitantly.

Jeon Min-kyung, a 23-year-old college student studying Chinese, first visited Itaewon last spring with her friends, and found the area "marvelous" but the foreigners wearing hip-hop clothes "scary."

Some of her friends liked it and continue to visit; some of them felt scared and never returned. She said most Koreans, even those her age, haven’t been to Itaewon because of its reputation as a place full of foreign criminals.

Jeon has gone back repeatedly, mostly to try new foods at foreign restaurants. But she only goes during the day because she doesn’t think it’s safe at night. The more time she spends there, the more comfortable she feels around the foreigners, she said.

On a recent afternoon, Kim Ji-yun, a 38-year-old housewife was in Itaewon shopping for a fake Louis Vuitton purse. The area is the best place in Seoul to buy knock-off brands, she said, and she usually shops there three or four times a year. But she said Itaewon is dangerous, so she always leaves before dark.

"The streets … have too many foreigners rambling around," she said. "I think the brand name shops opening lately on the main street are only a skin-deep change."

Yes, Itaewon is pretty much a hive of scum and villany, and yes the article is generally about how Koreans are coming to accept Itaewon both in spite of and because of its foreign population, but still.