Dongdaemun
Wikipedia | Google | Google Images | Flickr
Most tourists flock to Dongdaemun for the promise of 24-hour shopping malls and boutique shops. That’s right, there are a sea of stores and malls in Dongdaemun are open all night with cafés scattered about to keep the marathon going. The area is bustling at all hours of the day; filled with tourists ready to shop ‘til they drop or at least until the subways start running again in the morning.
The Great East Gate
Between 1396 and 1398, the Eight Gates of Seoul
were
constructed around what would later become Seoul. Connected by fortress walls and enclosing the royal palace, each gate
was built to withstand invasions and wars. Today only six gates, or “mun”, remain. They are scattered throughout the
city as reminders of Seoul’s great history. One such gate, Heunginjimun, or “the Gate of Rising Benevolence”, resides in the eastern, or “dong,” side of Seoul; hence, the name ‘Dongdaemun’.
Unfortunately, during the Korean War, most of Dongdaemun was destroyed and left in rubble and ashes. The area was slowly rebuilt and repopulated with traditional marketplaces. However, it wasn’t until the late nineties that modern malls were added into the mix. Six-hundred years after it was constructed, the fortress walls are long gone and replaced with shiny new malls.
, the Dongdaemun Design Plaza is home to Seoul Fashion Week along with numerous design
and fashion exhibitions going on every month.Markets, Markets Everywhere
Whatever facelift the last fifteen years might have brought to the area, the beating heart is in the brick walls and tented alleys that call Dongdaemun home. There are thirteen marketplaces and an ever growing number of shopping malls housing tens of thousands of stores and vendors.In an area the size of a city block, the Hwanghak-dong Flea Market boasts over 500 stores with classic antiques to archaic electronics from the sixties. For book worms, the Second Hand Book Street occupies a popular spot just south of the Cheonggyecheon Stream with a city’s worth of classic Korean and foreign literature available.
Finally, the Bangsan Market is lovingly referred to as Seoul’s “baker’s market.” Rather than serving up baked goods, Bangsan offers raw ingredients from confections to extracts. Bakers from across the city-state flock to Bangsan for ingredients, supplies, appliances, and tools to get the job done.
Of course the main attraction for Dongdaemun is fashion. From the Migliore Mall to the Designer’s Club, there are thousands of shops just waiting for patrons. On the other side of the needle, designers and seamstresses flock to the Dongdaemun Shopping Complex for the fabric stores piled in together like sardines in a can. Even with the six floors and four buildings, the Dongdaemun Shopping Complex is bursting at the seams with buttons and zippers.
So Much to See, So Much to Do
For families, the Heunginjimun is definitely sight-worthy and is packed with visitors on weekends. It has the added bonus of being five minutes away from the sights and smells of the Gwangjang Market and the Cheonggyecheon Stream that bisects the historic district of Seoul.
For shoppers, make sure to avoid visiting on Sundays, Mondays, or national holidays as many of the shops will be shuttered. Fridays and Saturdays are always peak days while Wednesdays are the least crowded times to make sure your credit card gets a workout.
As a general rule, the Cheonggyecheon Stream is not to be missed. During the winter it is the sight of the annual Seoul Lantern Festival and in celebration of Buddha’s birthday, children float candles on paper lotus flowers down with the current. All year round, there’s nothing better than to end a day of shopping with a walking along the babbling stream.
Finding Your Way
Getting to Dongdaemun is easy, a myriad of buses travel through the area along with three subway lines that converge on Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station (Line 2, 4, and 5) in the heart of Dongdaemun.For tourists hoping to see a bit of history, the historic East Gate is located by Dongdaemun Station (Line 4), while both Dongmyo Station (Line 1) and Sindang Station (Line 2 and 6) drop visitors off on the outskirts of Dongdaemun.
Do you see any omissions, errors or want to add information to this page? Sign up.
Author: bludreamers. Last updated: Mar 16, 2015