Seoul According to: Jason Haam

Jason Haam’s eponymous gallery opened in 2017, perched at the top of the hill in Seongbuk-dong, north of Jongno district in the centre of Seoul. Once a bastion of the art scene’s old guard, the Seongbuk neighbourhood has been changing rapidly. Haam discusses the gallery’s homegrown artists, the evolution of the contemporary art scene and the resilient nature of Korean democracy.  

Monica Jae Yeon Moon Tell us where you’re located and what you like about it. 

Jason Haam When I visited Seongbuk-dong to see the gallery space when it became available, I thought it was quite beautiful. Seongbuk-dong is famous for its views, because it’s on a hill (it’s often called the ‘Beverly Hills of Korea’). It’s uncharacteristic for Seoul, because it doesn’t have many apartment blocks. Instead, there are a lot of big houses. 

I could also see that Seongbuk-dong has a fondness for art. You go into a shop or a restaurant in Seongbuk-dong, it’ll have the ‘Seongbuk-dong Shop (성북동 가게)’ sign, which means it’s approved by the Seongbuk neighbourhood and it has a certain artistic value. It’s a very arty neighbourhood. I believe Do Ho Suh had a studio here; his father Se Ok Suh had a studio here. There is a museum called Kansong Museum, which was the first private museum in the country. Seongbuk is also the first district in Seoul to have its own museum. 

MM Are there any exhibitions you remember seeing at Seongbuk Museum of Art?  

JH There was a beautiful Yoo Geun-Taek show in 2024. The museum has an outdoor space called the ‘Street Gallery’. It’s kind of a cute version of New York's High Line; there’s a little dungeon, so you have a bridge and then it’s a space underneath. They had an installation by Choi Jeong-Hwa, which I thought was very beautiful.  

MM How has the area changed since you opened in 2017? 

JH The whole neighbourhood, in terms of contemporary art, has got so much better. 313 Art project was here before I came. Now there’s BB&M Gallery, which represents the artist Lee Bul, and Wooson Gallery from Daegu. They’re also building this huge museum right next to my gallery – by the Line Cultural Foundation – that’s going to be directed by one of my closest friends, Wonseok Koh, who used to be the chief curator at the Seoul Museum of Art.  

MM What about Seoul as a centre for art? How has it changed?  

JH I mean, it’s a story that everyone knows. In 2017/2018 when I opened, not many international galleries were here. I think Lehmann Maupin was here, Pace was here, Christie’s was here, I don’t think Phillips and Sotheby's were here, neither were most of the galleries. So, it wasn’t as booming. Also, I think the average age of collectors was higher than it is now. That generation of people collected more conventional art than the recently emerged MZ [millennial/gen Z] collectors. So, that’s a quantitative and qualitative change.  

The artists have changed too. Artists, especially the young ones, now know that if they make good work, they can succeed. Seven, eight years ago, you’d graduate from one of the finest universities in the country, you’d still most likely never make it as a professional artist. But now there are examples of young artists, like artists that I work with such as Moka Lee and Jihyoung Han, who are taking real steps forward in the global contemporary art world, and who are homegrown. I think that vitalized the community. 

MM Why do you think that became possible?  

JH I don’t know exactly, but I can tell you one thing: there are galleries here – global galleries – and when they have a space here, they need Korean artists. So there are more opportunities now. If you graduated seven, eight years ago in Korea, how many galleries could you have gone to to launch a real, meaningful and global career as an artist? I’d say it was close to zero. The local, established galleries would never take a 25-year-old, so what was the chance of your survival?  

When was the last time, since dansaekhwa, that you could have a meaningful career as an artist and make enough money to pay off your education loan and have children, or even buy a house? I would say less than five people have done it without having to sacrifice their dignity as an artist. I mean in a way that makes an impact in the global art world. Such artists are very few and far between in this country, but now I think we’ll begin to see many more and I am very excited about it.

When was the last time, since dansaekhwa, that you could have a meaningful career as an artist and make enough money to educate yourself and your children, and buy a house? Jason Haam

MM What do you think makes Seoul an interesting destination for international galleries and collectors?  

JH Well, Seoul has no sales tax on artwork, which essentially makes the whole country a free port and much easier to buy and sell art. That makes Korea an appealing destination in Asia compared to Japan or China. At the same time, it’s close to Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai, so you can engage with the local and international galleries during Frieze Week.  

MM How do you think Seoul is different from other art destinations in Asia?  

JH In Seoul, obviously, we have Frieze Seoul, but we also have stuff going on that’s driven by the local community of artists consistently throughout the year. It’s a different kind of community from Hong Kong, for example; we rely much less on expats.  

MM How do artists in Seoul address political issues, in your opinion?   

JH Koreans are shy and indirect in the way we express ourselves. We are taught to be reserved. Especially compared to Americans, we are much more shy: vocally, or in art, or anywhere. Maybe this is an oversimplification but it comes from my own experience.

At the same time, ironically so, political engagement in this country is more active than anywhere else on the planet, largely because we are a very small country with a lot of people. News travels fast and the government doesn’t have much power over people. I feel that it’s truly a democratic country. As a leader, if you don’t do right by the people, it’s hard to sustain your power here. 

As a leader, if you don’t do right by the people, it’s hard to sustain your power here. Jason Haam

MM Can you recommend a good place to eat near your gallery? 

JH I really like Seondong Barley Rice, and Doldam, which specializes in croakers [borigulbi (보리굴비)]. They don’t use sugar; they don’t use MSG. It’s all-natural food and they’re both family-owned. When you go to either place, there’s the grandmother, who is cooking, and the son, who is parking the cars. It’s not expensive, like $10 to $12 a portion. You have the nicest time, and the food is great and healthy. 

MM What’s the best thing about Seoul?  

JH Seoul is a very practical city. It’s very cheap compared to other big cities of the world such as London or New York. I feel that it’s cheaper than Hong Kong for sure. To have a decent life in Seoul, you don’t really need a super-high income. And for what you pay, you get the diversity of culture, fashion and art. You could say it’s ‘good value for money (가성비가 좋다)’. We don’t have London’s flair; we don’t have New York’s dynamism. But I’m fine with that. Flair costs money. It’s super-safe here; there’s no gun violence. People are friendly, there’s no theft, there’s no vandalism of any sort. I would feel very safe if my wife, mother or sister walked around the city at 3am. It’s a one-of-a-kind thing in a big city: you don’t find it anywhere else on the planet. 

MM What’s the worst thing about Seoul? 

JH I love this city so much, I can’t think of anything bad about it. Okay, if I had to nitpick, the summer is too hot and wet. And because I’m a big guy – I’m 6’ 4’’ – the apartments can feel a little small.  

Jason Haam presents Urs Fischer, Jihyoung Han, Mike Lee, Moka Lee among others at Frieze Seoul 2025. 

Further Information 

Frieze Seoul, COEX, 3 – 6 September 2025.    

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Frieze Seoul is supported by Headline Partner LG OLED, in a collaboration that merges the worlds of art and technology, and Global Lead Partner Deutsche Bank, continuing over two decades of shared commitment to artistic excellence. 

^{Main image: Exterior view of Jason Haam, Seoul. Courtesy: Jason Haam}