Gangnam

Literally, "Gangnam" translates to "south of the river" and refers to all the places that are located south of the Han river.

• It's a rich area.
  Many things in this district are priced relatively high. It's where you'll find the BMWs, Benz, Lexus, Ferraris, the Dolce & Gabbana, Chanel, and more. Designers and brands galore. You'll see cafés selling overpriced desserts and art galleries featuring pieces casually priced at millions of won. [1]
  
• A lot of people want to live here.
  People who live here sometimes turn up their noses at people who live elsewhere. My friend was in a serious relationship with a guy who lived in Gangnam, and his parents opposed the marriage because she wasn't willing to buy an apartment in Gangnam for the two of them. She was also from the countryside, an even worse indication of status. Living in Gangnam gives you a certain status within Seoul, even more so now that Psy's song became internationally famous. [2]
• There's a lot of traffic.
  I hate having to go to Gangnam via car because of the sheer number of people and cars. Especially at rush hour. Going to Gangnam station at high-peak means you're willing to bury yourself into a mass of moving bodies to try to locate your friend and grab dinner together. Wading through that ocean again when you leave. Just thinking about this one gives me a headache... It deserves its own bullet point.
• High-end bars, clubs, and restaurants.
  The bars, clubs, and restaurants can be hit or miss. Sometimes they're vastly overpriced for typical quality, but other times you actually run into some really chic and tasty places. If you want to look for quality liquor, go to Gangnam. The girls that frequent the clubs are often looking for rich men, also [3].
• Lots of plastic surgery clinics.
  Subsequently, the streets have many plastic surgery adverts, and a higher percentage of girls/guys walking around with bandages or sunglasses. Personally, I usually find the before-after pictures really intriguing rather than scary. A lot of marketing effort is put into making plastic surgery seem very friendly, easy, and fashionable in Korea.
• Style.
  My friend once commented that she feels like she has to "dress up" if she's going to Gangnam. South Korea has a standard for what is acceptable to wear in public, but I can see where she's coming from-- the femmes of Gangnam look sharp. Hair, makeup, clothes, accessories, and shoes all coordinate to create the visage of Gangnam style. [4] In some sense, it's a relief to be unattractive because that means I don't really have to try too hard, and I can just be myself.
• Private Education.
  Many private education institutions are in Gangnam. These include extracurricular schools, hakwons, specialized academies (ie. hobbyist barista or art classes), in addition to typical elementary-middle-high schools. I used to attend an SAT hakwon in Apku (~2 weeks) and a preparatory school for art university (~4 weeks). My classmates were typically from well-to-do families, while the teachers and tutors were all IVY-league grads. Classes were expensive and I can't quantify what I really learned from those experiences.

To recap:
Gangnam is a destination, not a through-way. It features a lot of different cultural aspects of South Korea, including some of the less attractive features like materialism and inflated affluence. On the most part, Gangnam is the vision of a sleek and shiny modern metropolis. It's not a typical vision of South Korea, but a concentrated view of the upper-middle class.

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[1] I worked at an art gallery over the summer in Cheongdam and the ladies were coming in being like, "Ooohh that's so lovely! I think I'll take it home," with "it" being like $75,000. Then they'd call their chauffeurs and arrange to get it packaged and delivered. Then they'd talk about how tired they were and how busy the day was, and all head over to a coffee shop chain owned by "so-and-so's daughter, isn't that cute?" to chat.

[2] Koreans generally ask several key questions that will determine the hierarchical rank of the individual. Culturally, this is important because it will dictate the kind of language and manner people are supposed to use when interacting with one another. These questions include:
- How old are you?
- What do you do?
- Where do you live? (If you live in a nice part of town, it means you / your family has money, which sets certain expectations about your upbringing.)

[3] The full package for a man is the following: Watch, shoes, suit, car, job, height, and good looks.

[4] The lyrics of Gangnam Style mixed with the message of the music video refer to how the girls that look classy in the daytime become wild at night. Also how he [Psy] is trying to fit into the Gangnam culture to pick up girls, but looks ridiculous doing so. In doing so, Psy reveals the ridiculousness of the culture itself.