Dongdaemun Market () or Dongdaemun (abbreviated DDM) is a large commercial district in Jongno District,

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.Dongdaemun Market
at

Doosan Encyclopedia ''Doosan Encyclopedia'' () is a Korean-language encyclopedia published by Doosan Donga (). The encyclopedia is based on the ''Dong-A Color Encyclopedia'' (), which comprises 30 volumes and began to be published in 1982 by Dong-A Publishing (). ...

. With traditional markets and shopping centers, it is a popular shopping and tourist destination that has been designated a "Special Tourism Zone" () since 2002.

History

Dongdaemun Market opened in July 1905 in Yeji-dong (예지동 ), whose name means "a neighborhood for learning politeness", so the market was originally called ''Baeugaejang'' (배우개장, "market for learning"). It was also called Gwangjang Market () as a company of the same name was set up as market management. The market was set in a closed structure until the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

, when it was completely destroyed. It slowly rebuilt over the years and, in 1959, a building was constructed and the market was revived. In 1998 and 1999, large shopping malls such as Geopyeong Freya, Migliore, and Doosan Tower were built in the district, and the market was renovated with a modern atmosphere in the traditional market.

Characteristics

Dongdaemun Market is near Dongdaemun from which it takes its name. The market is divided into five shopping districts—A, B, C, D and a shopping town, with 26 shopping malls over 10 blocks, 30,000 speciality shops, and 50,000 manufacturers. The market sells all types of goods but notably

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

s and

fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is no ...

clothes Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...

shoes A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. Though the human foot can adapt to varied terrains and climate conditions, it is vulnerable, and shoes provide protection. Form was originally tied to function, but ...

and leather goods, sporting goods, plumbing and electronics, office supplies, fortune tellers, toys and food areas specialising in

Korean cuisine Korean cuisine is the set of foods and culinary styles which are associated with Korean culture. This cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient Prehistoric Korea, agricultural and nomad ...

. It also has many pet shops.''Life in Korea'': Dongdaemun Market
. Retrieved 7 May 2008. It is on the Seoul list of "Asia's 10 greatest street food cities" for the Korean snack Soondae and mandu.Goldberg, Lin
"Asia's 10 greatest street food cities"
CNN. 23 March 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2012. DDM was traditionally a night market and wholesalers once operated from 1:00 am to 1:00 pm. Now, the area is open for 18.5 hours a day from 10:30 am to 5:00 am, with some stores open 24 hours a day, although most close on Sundays and holidays.

Malls

Retail shops

The main street divides Dongdaemun Market into two sections. Section 1 is on the side where Doosan Tower is located, and Section 2 is on the side of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza & Park, the old site of Dongdaemun Stadium. Huge shopping malls in Section 1 basically sell wholesale and retail goods, but mostly deal with general customers and tourists at retail prices. They have facilities like money exchanges and information desks with English-speaking staff. Opening hours are aimed at general customers, from 10 am to 5 am the next day. Major shopping malls are Doosan Tower, Migliore, Freya Town and Hello apM.Dongdaemun market
, Weekend 21. Retrieved 10 July 2010.

Wholesale shops

Shopping malls in Section 2 sell goods in wholesale and retail, but mainly sell in bulk. Malls here usually open at about 8 pm and close at 8 am or 5 pm the next day. The peak time comes late at night through early morning. Since most shops deal with wholesalers, there are no dressing rooms. Major shopping malls in Section 2 are Designer's Club, Migliore Valley, Nuzzon, Gwanghee Fashion Mall, Jeil Pyeonghwa, and Heungin Stardom. Among them, Jeil Pyeonghwa and Heungin Stardom attract customers in their thirties and forties. Teens and youth in their twenties usually visit Designer's Club, Migliore Valley, Nuzzon and Gwanghee Fashion Mall.

Gallery

File:Seoul-Dongdaemun.Market-01.jpg, Shoe shops in the area (2005) File:Dongdaemun-korean-food-9.jpg, Food counters (2005) File:Korean.clothes-Hanbok-01.jpg, Clothes for sale in a hanbok shop (2007) File:Dongdaemon-korean-food-8.jpg, Food counters (2005) File:Pyounghwa Clothing Market.jpg, Pyounghwa Clothing Market, in the area (2011)

References

External links

Dongdamun Market Information Center

Official Korea Tourism site for Dongdaemun Market

Official Seoul City Tourism site for Dongdaemun Market

Dongdaemun traditional market

{{coord, 37.57041, N, 127.00896, E, display=title, type:landmark_region:KR Jongno District Downtown Seoul Shopping districts and streets in South Korea 1905 establishments in Korea Retail markets in Seoul Food markets in South Korea