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Nikkei Asia

Sampling the best of Seoul's booming cafe culture

Located in Seoul's Mangwon-dong neighborhood, HHSS is a quiet, minimalist cafe with a homey vibe, enhanced by the languid presence of the resident cat. (All photos by David D. Lee) DAVID D. LEE SEOUL -- In South Korea, where homes are rarely used for social gatherings, cafes offer more than just caffeine -- they serve as go-to spots for meeting friends, blind dates, group studies and other social activities. When the first Starbucks branch opened near Seoul's Ewha Womans University in 1999, it marked the beginning of a local revolution in cafe culture. The American franchise now runs 1,900 of the country's 100,000 cafes -- which is roughly double the number of convenience stores.