Dongdaemun Market |
| Life in Korea rating: 4.5 |
Average member rating:
4.5 (2 ratings) |
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Like Namdaemun Market, Dongdaemun
Market is located near its namesake of Dongdaemun
(Great East Gate). Korea's largest wholesale and retail shopping district has 26
shopping malls, 30,000 specialty shops, and 50,000 manufacturers. Within the ten
blocks of the market area, you can find silks, clothes, shoes, sporting goods,
plumbing and electrical supplies, electronics, office supplies, toys and just about
everything else imaginable.
Traditionally, wholesalers operated from 1:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and retailers were open
from 1:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Buyers came from all over Korea to take advantage of the cheap
wholesale prices during the wee hours of the morning, creating an unusual
nightlife in the area. Now, the area
stays open from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m., allowing shoopers to do their thing almost any time the
mood strikes them. (Most stores close on Mondays and holidays.)
However, many of the new stores have been
targeting college and high school students. The older 2- and 3-story buildings have
narrow walkways between the stores, poor lighting, exposed plumbing and conduits, and
ajumas run the individual shops. The newer high rise stores resemble department
stores, having wider walkways, brighter lighting, modern stylings, loud techno-pop music
blaring from speakers, and college-age people running the stores.
Dongdaemun Shopping Town and Dongdaemun Chain Store (across the street from
Dongdaemun) both exemplify old Dongdaemun Market. They contain
many shops catering to newlyweds, selling clothing materials, bedding, dishes and silverware,
and other necessary items for starting a new household. Many couples and their parents head
here before their wedding to get custom-made clothes, curtains, and bedding materials. Young
couples also come here to get tradtional and formal clothes for their small children.
On the other side of Samil Elevated Road, across from Dongdaemun
Stadium, are Doosan Tower and Migliore, today's hottest shopping areas
for college students and teens. Here you can find the latest clothing, shoes, bags, colored
wigs, CDs, inexpensive jewelry, and other fashion accessories. You can also find several
shops selling Western food and toiletry items- one of the best places those hard-to-find
items you left back home. Many young designers have opened their own stores here.
The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) recently opened the Dongdaemun Market
Information Center to assist foreign buyers in Dongdaemun Market. Located in the
basement of the Fraya Town Building, staff members can answer questions and offer
assistance in English, Japanese, and Chinese. They also have some information available
in Russian. The Center is open 12:00-22:00 daily.
TEL: (02) 2261-2192~4
FAX: (02) 2261-2195
E-mail: Dongdaemun@mail.kotis.net
Hours: 07:00 ~ 19:00
Closed: Every Sunday
Directions:
Location: From Jongno 5 (o)-ga to Dongdaemun Station
Gwangjang Market: Subway lines 1 & 4, Dongdaemun Station; or Subway lines 2 &, 4, Dongdaemun Stadium Station and 10 minutes towards Cheonggye 5 (o)-ga
Gwanghui Market/Jeil Pyeonghwa Market: Subway lines 1 & 4, Dongdaemun Station; or Subway lines 2 & 4, Dongdaemun Stadium Station
Pyeonghwa Market: Subway lines 1 & 4, Dongdaemun Station; or Subway lines 2 & 4, Dongdaemun Stadium Station
Food and Drink
Many restaurants in the surrounding area have Korean and Western food, especially in the
food courts located in the major shopping buildings.
See related tour(s). |
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Member Comments:
hanbohyang-
(Rating: 4)
Date: March 8, 2003
This is a great place to go, for girls there is a lot of "girl" shopping and for guys there are a lot of girls to talk to and socialize with. It is a fun place there are lots of night clubs and bars nearby and is open in the summer until 3AM! If you are looking for traditional Korean articles, it is best to go to namdaemun, but dongdaemun has a lot of clothing mostly.
kylelush-
(Rating: 5)
Date: August 30, 2001
Great place to go shopping!! Everything you want you can find it here...
Rate this destination
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Transportation:
Parking: Customers who spend more than 20,000 won in any nearby store get 30 minutes
of free parking. The effects are cumulative, so if you spend over 20,000 in two stores, you
get 1 hour of free parking.
Bus: 81 (Itaewon - Hannam-dong)
Subways:
Dongdaemun-
Seoul Line 1 (red), Seoul Line 4 (blue)
Dongdaemun Undonjang (Dongdaemun Stadium)-
Seoul Line 2 (green), Seoul Line 4 (blue), Seoul Line 5 (purple)
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