The original Kim Ga-ne restaurant at Hyehwa Station in Seoul has permanently closed its doors after more than three decades of operation.
The closure marks the end of a landmark establishment that served as the foundation for a wider brand. For many residents and visitors in the Hyehwa Station area, the shop was a staple of the local culinary landscape.
According to a closure notice, the restaurant opened in 1992 [1]. The notice said that the first branch was concluding its journey after 35 years [2] of serving customers.
The premises have been cleared of equipment and furniture, leaving the site empty. While the notice announced the end of operations, it did not provide a specific reason for why owner Kim Yong-man decided to close the shop.
Neighboring business owners expressed surprise at the sudden vacancy of the space. Im Byung-gu, a local merchant who operates a hardware store, said he saw no signs that the restaurant was planning to shut down.
Im said he had performed repairs at the location just two days before the closure became apparent. He said he wondered what happened when he realized the shop had suddenly disappeared.
The site now serves as a reminder of the restaurant's long tenure in the neighborhood. The closure follows a trend of long-standing small businesses in Seoul facing transitions as urban landscapes shift.
“The first branch was concluding its journey after 35 years”
The closure of the first Kim Ga-ne branch represents more than the loss of a single eatery; it is the disappearance of a foundational site for a brand that expanded across South Korea. The sudden nature of the exit, noted by neighboring merchants, reflects the precarious nature of maintaining original physical footprints in Seoul's rapidly evolving commercial districts.
