For decades, Seoul Central Market ¡ª with its shabby shops and grungy street food ¡ª has been a gathering place for retirees seeking cheap meals, clothing and kitchenware.
These days, they¡¯re increasingly competing for space with hipsters in heels and Birkenstocks who troll the chic restaurants and cafes that are sprouting between hole-in-the-wall rice shops and noodle joints.
Aspiring chefs and first-time business owners ¡ª some who gave up seeking jobs in South Korea¡¯s sprawling family-run conglomerates like Samsung Electronics Co. ¡ª are driving up rents, and remaking the neighborhood into a battleground in a generational feud.
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