SEOUL · DONGDAEMUN · CAFE & BAR
Dongdaemun is one of those parts of Seoul where old and new seem to exist almost on top of each other. Markets, traffic, and modern buildings surround Heunginjimun, one of the historic gates of Seoul’s old city wall.
Eastman sits directly across from it, on the second floor of an unassuming building.
We didn’t choose this place simply for the view, or because it has become a popular café. What stayed with us was how clearly the space reflects the person behind it.
Film and photography, old furniture, secondhand objects, music. The taste came first. The space seems to have followed.
Dongdaemun · Jongno, Seoul
Cafe · Hi-Fi Music Bar · Cocktail Bar
2F, 284 Jong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Dongdaemun Station · Exit 7
01 — WHY “EASTMAN”
The name connects back to another part of Kim’s world.
Eastman takes its name from George Eastman, the founder of Kodak and one of the figures who helped make film photography accessible to a much wider audience.
Before opening Eastman, Kim was already running wkndfilm, a film lab and cultural space in Seongbuk-dong.
Knowing that, the name feels less like branding and more like a continuation.
Photography came first. Eastman simply gave that world more room to grow.
02 — COLLECTED, NOT DECORATED
The objects inside Eastman were gathered in much the same way.
Kim has long had a habit of collecting secondhand pieces, so much of the space is filled with things that already have a history: speakers, audio equipment, records, furniture, photographs, and small objects found over time.
That’s why Eastman doesn’t quite feel like a café designed around a “vintage” concept.
It feels more like a room filled with things someone genuinely likes and has slowly collected.
Music is part of the room
Music here isn’t treated as background noise.
The sound system was considered from the early stages of the interior design, and after several rounds of testing, the room was built around a high-end stereo setup led by KEF
Blade One Meta speakers.
The selection shifts with the time of day, the weather, and the mood of the room — from jazz and classical music to older Korean records.
What we liked most wasn’t simply that Eastman has impressive speakers.
It was the way the music makes you notice the room differently.
You can be halfway through a conversation, hear something familiar, and suddenly find yourself listening.
EKND
Before Eastman, there was wkndfilm. The interest in film and photography that shaped Kim’s earlier work is still quietly present here.
THE CUP
Even the takeaway cup carries a diagram inspired
by the traditional darkroom printing process rather than a typical café graphic. A small detail, but one that says a lot about where the space came from.
THE WINDOW
The large window looks directly onto Heunginjimun. Among all of Eastman’s details, this is still the view that made the space possible in the first place.
DAY TO NIGHT
By day, it works as a café. As the sun goes down, the lights soften and cocktails and music move further into focus. The same room feels noticeably different after dark.
NEXT MOMENT
Another place worth noticing in Seoul.
