There's a taproom where you can enjoy craft beer while overlooking ancient tombs from the Silla era. What stories fill this space, created by an owner who runs a music agency and has poured his love of music and beer into every corner? We spoke with the owner of HHH, located near Daereungwon in Noseo-dong, Gyeongju.
Interviewee Hwang Gyuseok
Interviewer Ryu Sunwoo
The name is quite unique. What does it mean?
My wife has a hearty, booming laugh. It puts everyone around her in a good mood. While brainstorming a name for the shop, I thought it would be fun to use ‘ㅎㅎㅎ’ (hhh), which resembles the shape of laughter. Since business registration certificates can't list a name made only of consonants, we registered it as ‘흐흐흐’ (heuheuheu). I hope people remember the name through all kinds of laughter — hahaha, hohoho, huhuhu.
How did HHH get started?
Back when I was running a pub restaurant in Pangyo, I used to visit Gyeongju every weekend. The more I came, the more I fell in love with the city. I decided I had to create a space that would only be open on weekends. In 2018, I opened a bottle shop called ‘Weekend Common’ near the old Gyeongju Station, which I still run today. At the time, we could only sell bottled and canned beer. Eventually, I thought about opening a taproom that would be open on weekdays too, where people could enjoy craft beer — and that's how HHH began. Rather than a busy area like Hwangnidang-gil, I was looking for somewhere quiet and calm, and that's how I ended up in Noseo-dong. The moment I saw the massive ancient tomb right in front of the space, I knew this was the place, and I signed the lease right away.
Was there a particular reason you decided to move to Gyeongju?
There wasn't really a specific reason. I didn't have any connections or acquaintances in Gyeongju. Both my wife and I are originally from Sinchon in Seoul, and we spent our twenties and thirties in Hongdae, so it's strange even to us that we ended up living in Gyeongju. I had vaguely thought that when I got older, it might be nice to live somewhere outside Seoul with less stress. But I think it was really because I loved Gyeongju so much when I traveled here that I ended up opening a shop and eventually moving my whole life here.
You don't brew your own beer, but you collaborate with various breweries to create the styles you want. What criteria do you use to choose which breweries to work with? I'm also curious about the process of developing new beers.
This approach is sometimes called ‘gypsy brewing.’ We don't own a brewery, but we borrow the facilities of outside breweries to make the ingredients and styles of beer we want. We hold regular meetings with our staff, some of whom have long careers as brewers. Thanks to them, we start from a broad idea — what style of beer to make and what ingredients to use — and develop it further by discussing feasible methods. Once we've gathered our ideas, we look for and contact breweries that have strengths in that particular style or genre.
What kinds of beers has HHH introduced so far?
Currently, there are four beers you can always find at our Gyeongju and Busan locations: Beer Make Me High (Hoppy Lager), C-HHH-ERRY, Poong (Hug), and HHH-O-WHEAT. They're available not only on tap but also in cans and bottles.
Our very first beer, and the one that served on tap number one, is our signature 'Beer Make Me High.' It's a lager, but with citrusy hops added to give it a pale ale-like feel. The label was designed by Ok Geunnam, a graphic artist representing the first generation of Korean subculture. 'C-HHH-ERRY,' a sour ale made with cherries, is a beer that even beginners trying sour ales or *wild ales for the first time are likely to enjoy. 'Po-ong (Hug),' a dark beer made with vanilla bean and cocoa, has a label designed by illustrator Kimi. Every time a Po-ong is sold, we set aside ₩1,000 for **charity each time it is sold. Finally, 'HHH-O-WHEAT' is a wheat beer made with Gyeongju wheat and sillabong, a local specialty. We collaborated with Taepyeong Brewery in Mungyeong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, to create an even more local beer. We're grateful that this beer was selected for this year's 'Local Change-Up' program hosted by the Gyeongbuk Center for Creative Economy & Innovation. We hope to introduce it to even more people next year.
*Beer fermented using wild yeast and bacteria instead of cultivated yeast
** Donations are collected until 3,000 glasses have been sold. The first round of donations was given to the city of Gyeongju as a neighbor-helping fund.
Is there a beer style you'd love to make in the future, or a brewery you'd like to collaborate with?
There's a tea house called Baekrok Dabang that's been operating in Noseo-dong, Gyeongju for nearly 50 years. It's famous as a hangout for elderly locals, and the iced misugaru (roasted grain powder drink) they serve in summer is absolutely delicious. I think it would be fun to make a ***smoothie ale that captures the texture of the misugaru served there. I'm hoping to try it out next summer. Weaving in the story of this old local tea house would make for even more compelling content, so I really want to make it happen.
*** A beer with a thick texture, similar to a fruit smoothie.
One of the space's charms is that you can drink beer while looking out at Daereungwon. Was there anything important you considered when designing the space?
The cluster of ancient tombs right in front of the shop really is a surreal, captivating sight you can't find anywhere else. I always feel grateful, like I'm benefiting from the blessing of our ancestors. (laughs) I filled the space step by step, with the single goal of making sure guests enjoy their time with a beer in hand. I selected vintage lighting and furniture I'd collected over the years, arranging them to match the shop's tone, and agonized even over the type and shape of every fixture and cup. Music is the same. We collaborate with outside DJs to select music that fits the mood of the space, and release a quarterly mix titled ‘COMMON STRAY MIX.’ We try to showcase a variety of music, from bossa nova to K-pop, jazz, and rare groove.
I understand you also run a music agency called ‘Common.’ What kind of work does Common do?
I've been running it since 2012. When I was in Seoul, I worked on things like artist management, music and album distribution, and concert planning, but things have changed a lot since moving to Gyeongju. Since most of the infrastructure is concentrated in Seoul, in Gyeongju we mainly work with local governments or companies. We've been directly planning and steadily running events since 2022, like ‘BATH ROOM,’ a DJ party held in a disused public bathhouse, and ‘Hwangodong Carnival (@hnd_carnival),’ a festival tied to the Hwango-dong commercial district.
How has the experience you've built running Common carried over into HHH?
The experience I've built up over the years through Common has been a huge help, from preparing the shop to running it day to day. My experience making merchandise for musicians has been especially useful. Whether it's HHH's logo and slogans or the merchandise we make, approaching it with the mindset of managing a musician helps me come up with a wider range of ideas.
Do you have any tips for people visiting HHH to help them enjoy the space even more?
For those who are more introverted (I on the MBTI scale), I'd recommend stopping by alone during a trip, reading a book, and enjoying a beer along with the lush green scenery of the tombs. For extroverts (E), I think visiting during one of the DJ parties or events like the beer-drinking speed contests that pop up now and then would make for even more memorable experiences.
Do you have a personal favorite spot or view in Gyeongju? What makes it special to you?
I really love the quiet, timeless atmosphere of Gyeongju. Among my favorites, I'd recommend Samneung, where you can take a calm stroll; Gameunsa Temple Site, which makes you feel connected to the Silla era just by looking at it; and the coastline of Yangnam, where you can take in both history and natural scenery at once thanks to King Munmu's Underwater Tomb and the columnar joints.
You're also running a taproom in Busan. Do you have plans to open in other cities in the future?
Not right away, but within the next two to three years, I'd like to open a space in Seoul that brings together craft beer, music, and performances. The first place I opened, back in 2010, was a live music café on Hongdae's café street. There were performances every day, and it built a reputation as a kind of hangout where artists would gather. A community formed around the music scene there, which became a culture in itself and was a huge help in running the shop. After moving to a region outside Seoul, I've come to realize just how difficult it is to build that kind of cultural foundation. That's probably because most cultural content is created and consumed in Seoul. I think running HHH — not just selling beer, but also directly planning and running performances and festivals — comes from that same thirst. To bridge this cultural gap, I think we'll need a shop in Seoul. Based on that, it would also be great to plan content that could expand out to Gyeongju and Busan.
Is there anything else you're planning or working on that you can give us a hint about?
We're preparing a new space set to open this fall. We're planning to open a brunch café inside Seongdong Market, one of Gyeongju's traditional markets. We'll be selling the sausages, jambon, and tenderloin ham you can find at HHH, and sandwiches made with these will likely be the main menu items. On the second floor, we're also planning to open a space selling not just merchandise but vinyl records and clothing as well. We're preparing it to be another appealing destination for people to seek out when they travel to Gyeongju.
