‘Seoul Boulevard’ signs installed on John Marr Drive
A section of John Marr Drive in Annandale has been given the honorary name “Seoul Boulevard.”
Three signs were installed earlier this month – at the intersection of John Marr Drive and Columbia Pike, at the Tom Davis Drive intersection in front of the Annandale Post Office, and at the Little River Turnpike intersection in front of the Eastgate shopping center.
Annandale businessman Steve Lee, who had promoted the signage as a way to recognize the contributions of the Korean American community as one of several groups that support the local economy, is paying for the bulk of the project. The Fairfax County Department of Transportation is contributing, as well.
Related story: Supervisors approve the honorary name ‘Seoul Boulevard’ for John Marr Drive
Last August, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution from Mason Supervisor Andres Jimenez to give John Marr Drive the honorary name of Seoul Boulevard.
The name is purely honorary; no one’s address has changed. It’s similar to the honorary name of Saigon Boulevard given to a section of Wilson Boulevard in front of the Eden Center in Seven Corners.
Initially, Lee proposed recognizing the Korean community’s positive impact on Annandale by bestowing an honorary name on Little River Turnpike. That proposal drew opposition from some members of the community.
Lee believes that promoting Annandale’s association with Korean culture will draw more visitors and will spur economic revitalization.
As an example of that, the Spring/Summer 2026 issue of #FlyWashington Magazine, published by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and distributed at the Dulles and Reagan National airports, has a feature on Korean activities in the D.C. area called “Seoul Town.”
The article calls Annandale “the top destination for Korean culture in the Mid-Atlantic, full of restaurants, bakeries, markets, and stores.”
The piece offers dining recommendations in Annandale from Danny Lee, the James Beard Award-nominated co-founder of the Fried Rice Collective restaurant group:
- Siroo, 4231 Markham St. – several varieties of juk (porridge), rice and noodle dishes, Korean corn dogs, rice cakes, and much more.
- Shilla Bakery, 7039 Little River Turnpike – milk bread, mango mousse cake, green tea chiffon cake.
- Shin-Chon Sul Lung Tang, 7131 Little River Turnpike, Suite B – beef bone broth.
- Choong Hwa Won, 4409 John Marr Drive – Korean-Chinese cuisine.
- New Tosok Jib, 7123 Columbia Pike – fish, stews, bo ssam (pork wraps).
For an additional taste of Korean culture, the article suggests visiting the K Market International grocery store (4239 John Marr Drive) and the annual Korus Festival.
Related story: Annandale residents express their views on renaming Little River Turnpike