English

Can’t sleep? Go shopping!

Dongdaemun market has just about anything you decide you need at 12am

Image

Even for the most serious of students, a little retail therapy can from time to time be necessary.

With over 30,000 (yes, 30,000) retail and wholesale stores, Dongdaemun markets is one of the largest in Asia, and caters for just about every imaginable price range, taste and random desire.  The market focuses most heavily on clothing, fabrics, imported goods, underwear, bags, socks, and gloves, and although the market is mostly wholesale (“Ten thousand pairs of Hello Kitty socks, please”)*, there is enough of a retail presence to fill months of shopping time.

Dongdaemun opens at about 9pm and is still going strong when the sun comes up the next morning, so it’s good for dinner, some serious shopping, then a bite of breakfast before heading home.

To get to Dongdaemun, take subway line 1 or 4, then exit Dongdaemun Station at #8.

Hint:   Until you get there, you can’t imagine how big this place is.  Make your first stop ‘Dongdaemun Market Tourist Information Center’, which is located behind the Migliore building (you’ll see it).

Psy has his own take on Dongdaemun here, by the way – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiuKVYTh7u8

*  Oh, and it’s “헬로키티 양말 10,000 켤레 주세요 ” – just in case you’re in the market for socks.