6 Best Shopping in Dongdaemun, Seoul

What started as Asia’s largest single market in 1970 has steadily grown into the vast indoor shopping destination it is today. This 10-story retail behemoth accessible via underground passage from the subway station is filled with a mish-mash of stalls selling everything from clothing, socks, and accessories, to buttons, fabrics, and home goods. There are also more than two dozen cafes and fast-food eateries on site. Most shops are closed on Sunday, except the home goods area open on the first, third, and fifth Sundays of the month.

This quirky weekend market is filled with antiques and retro items spilling out from storefronts onto the sidewalks across from Dongmyo Shrine. Thrifters will love the vintage clothes and shoes, and bargain hunters can score various trinkets, tools, and glassware for just a few thousand won.

This eight-story mega mall is brimming with more than 500 stores selling the latest fashion trends. An estimated three million foreign visitors a year peruse the mix of luxury boutiques, emerging designers, sportswear, and fast fashion encompassed in this late-night shoppers’ paradise. If you’re looking for the hottest trends in K-style, this is the place to break out your credit card.

Mainly geared toward teenagers and early-20-somethings, this mall is overflowing with trendy frocks, candy-colored shoes, glittering baubles, and numerous other frilly accouterments. Everywhere you look you’ll see signs screaming “Sale!” and this mall is indeed known as one of the best places in Dongdaemun to score a bargain. As the name cheekily suggests, the mall is open from am to pm and back again into the wee hours of the morning. Note: most shops carry only women’s clothing, and there are limited options for men. 

Hyundai is one of South Korea’s most popular department store brands, and this outlet version offers the previous season’s styles for a deep discount. Men’s, women’s, and kids’ clothing are all available, as are handbags, shoes, beauty products, appliances—you name it. The complex features various cafes and bakeries, and the parking lot has two dedicated female-only floors.

After the Korean War, North Korean refugees flocked to the Dongdaemun area and built up a thriving textile industry. This low-price shopping destination, named after the Korean word for “peace,” grew from those humble beginnings to what is now the largest wholesale clothing market in Korea. The market is the epitome of fast fashion, with its on-site factory able to design, produce, and distribute up-to-the-minute K-style in a 72-hour window. Since it’s mainly a wholesale market, it’s open overnight to cater to retailers who want to display new trends first thing in the morning. The market is also known for its secondhand book section, featuring tomes in a wide array of languages.