Dongdaemun District () is one of the 25

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

s of

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea. It has a population of 346,770 (2010) and has a geographic area of 14.22 km² (5.49 sq mi), and is divided into 14 '' dong'' (administrative neighborhoods). Dongdaemun is located in northeastern Seoul, bordering the city districts of Seongbuk to the northwest, Jongno to the west, Seongdong to the south, Gwangjin to the southeast, and Jungnang to the east. Dongdaemun is part of the '' Seongjeosimni'' (Outer old Seoul) area and is named after

Heunginjimun Heunginjimun (), Dongdaemun (), is one of The Eight Gates of Seoul in the Seoul City Wall, a prominent landmark in central Seoul, South Korea. The Korean name "Dongdaemun" means "Great East Gate," and it was so named because it was the major ...

, one of the

Eight Gates of Seoul 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. Etymology English ''eight'', from Old English '', æhta'', Proto-Germanic ''*ahto'' is a direct continuation of Proto-Indo-European '' *oḱtṓ(w)-'', and as such cognate wi ...

which is not located within the district. Dongdaemun is home to the

University of Seoul The University of Seoul (UOS; ) is a municipal public university in Seoul, South Korea. UOS is famous in South Korea for a very large number of alumni working as national or municipal government officials in South Korea. UOS specializes in ur ...

, Cheongnyangni station, and to

Gyeongdong Market Gyeongdong Market (), sometimes Kyungdong Market, located in Dongdaemun District, Seoul, is one of the largest herbal medicine and ginseng markets of South Korea. Since its establishment in 1960, the market supplies 70 percent of the nation's he ...

, one of the largest

herbal medicine Herbal medicine (also called herbalism, phytomedicine or phytotherapy) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. Scientific evidence for the effectiveness of many herbal treatments ...

and

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

markets in South Korea. Yoo Deok-yeol () of the Democratic Party has been the mayor of Dongdaemun since July 2010.

History

Dongdaemun District was first created in 1943 when the "gu" system started and was larger in area than it is today. Seongbuk District separated from the district in 1949, and Changsin Dong and Sungin Dong were given to Jongno District in 1975. An additional 17 ''dong'' (neighborhoods) separated to become

Jungnang District Jungnang District () is one of the 25 ''gu'', or districts, of Seoul, South Korea. It is located on the north side of the Han River. It is characterized by a typical residential area with many natural green areas such as Yongma, Mangwoo, and B ...

in 1988.

Administrative divisions

Dongdaemun District currently comprises 14 ''dongs''. * Cheongnyangni-dong * Dapsimni 1-dong * Dapsimni 2-dong * Hoegi-dong * Hwigyeong 1-dong * Hwigyeong 2-dong * Imun 1-dong * Imun 2-dong * Jangan 1-dong * Jangan 2-dong * Jegi-dong * Jeonnong 1-dong * Jeonnong 2-dong * Yongsin-dong

Transportation

Subway

* Korail and Seoul Metro ** Subway Line 1 ***( Jongno-gu) ← Sinseol-dong — Jegi-dong — Cheongnyangni — Hoegi — Hankuk University of Foreign Studies — Sinimun → ( Seongbuk-gu) * Seoul Metro ** Subway Line 2 *** ( Seongdong-gu) → Yongdu − Sinseol-dong * Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation ** Subway Line 5 ***( Seongdong-gu) ← Dapsimni — Janghanpyeong → ( Gwangjin-gu) * Korail ** Jungang Section Line from Yongsan to Paldang ***( Seongdong-gu) ← Cheongnyangni (aboveground) — Hoegi → ( Jungnang-gu) There are more stations will add.

Geography

Dongdaemun District borders Seongbuk District to the north-west,

to the east (with the Jungnangcheon stream forming the border),

Gwangjin District Gwangjin District () is one of the List of districts of Seoul, 25 districts of Seoul, Seoul, South Korea. It is located on the north bank of the Han River (Korea), Han River on the eastern end of City of Seoul, Seoul. The district was split from ...

to the south-east,

Seongdong District Seongdong District () is one of the 25 List of districts of Seoul, districts which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. It is situated on the north bank of the Han River (Korea), Han River. It is divided into 20 ''dong'' (neighbourhoods). The ...

to the south, meets Jung District at a point in the south-west and borders Jongno District to the west. The busiest neighborhood of the district is the Cheongnyangni area - a large commercial zone formed around Cheongnyangni Station, one of the secondary CBDs of Seoul. Dongdaemun District is named after the east gate in Seoul's city walls, Dongdaemun, but Dongdaemun itself is actually located in Jongno District. This is due to an administrative border change.

Education

Universities

* Kyunghee University * Hankuk University of Foreign Studies

Research

* Korea Institute for Advanced Study

Attractions

* Dongseo Market * King Sejong Memorial * Seoul City Cultural Asset: Seonnongdan (선농단 先農壇), King Sejong Sindobi (세종대왕신도비 世宗大王神道碑, monumental stone) * National Treasure: Supyo (수표 水標) * Historical Site: Yeonghuiwon (영휘원永徽園) The grave sites of Kim Byeongro (김병로 金炳魯), Han Yongwoon (한용운 韓龍雲), Ahn Changho and Oh Sechang (오세창 吳世昌) are also located in this district.

Sister cities

* Anguo, China * Yanqing, China *

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

, China *

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, United States *

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, United States *

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France *

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

, France *

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control Districts of Seoul