Dongdaemun Market
Dongdaemun Market
3.8
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 10:00 PM
About
With 26 shopping malls and 30,000 shops, Dongdaemun Market is one of the largest and most important shopping venues in Korea, and the best place to find Korean fashion at wholesale and retail prices.
Duration: < 1 hour
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The area
Neighborhood: Jung-gu
Jung-gu serves as a historical and cultural epicenter in the heart of Seoul. A dynamic blend of old and new, the neighborhood houses a treasure trove of ancient palaces such as Deoksugung and Gyeongbokgung alongside modern marvels like Seoul Tower and Lotte World Mall. A plethora of dining options, from traditional Korean BBQ spots to trendy fusion cafes, offer a culinary journey. Namsan Park, with its panoramic city views, is a must-visit for nature enthusiasts. Thanks to its central location, Jung-gu is well-connected by Seoul's extensive subway network, making it an ideal base for exploring the city. This neighborhood truly encapsulates the spirit and diversity of Seoul.
How to get there
- Dongdaemun • 2 min walk
- Dongdaemun History & Culture Park • 7 min walk
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Best nearby
Restaurants
3,169 within 3 miles
Attractions
842 within 6 miles
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
3.8
347 reviews
Excellent
88
Very good
128
Average
105
Poor
18
Terrible
8
rememr
Singapore, Singapore1,168 contributions
Feb 2020
I'm reviewing the Dongdaemun area as a whole, there are various malls located here which are meant for wholesale shopping, though they can be quite pricey depending on the malls and stores you visit. Tops can range from USD 20 to 100+. Discount given for multiple pieces, needs bargaining.
Just to state a few:
(Day) Hello APM
(Night) Dongdaemun Design Plaza, DDP Fashion Mall
I recommend you to research which mall to visit depending on your style and budget preference.
Just to state a few:
(Day) Hello APM
(Night) Dongdaemun Design Plaza, DDP Fashion Mall
I recommend you to research which mall to visit depending on your style and budget preference.
Written August 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TIersHasie
Sydney, Australia1,291 contributions
Jan 2024 • Solo
The Dongaemun Market (shopping street) is pretty big. So many malls, shops and wholesale manufacturers offering all sorts. Mostly fashion and electronics.
Best thing is the apartment stores in this area many close after 10pm. For example HelloapM and Doota and Maxstyle till at least midnight.
A lot of wholesalers only open late till early morning (like 3-4am).
Best thing is the apartment stores in this area many close after 10pm. For example HelloapM and Doota and Maxstyle till at least midnight.
A lot of wholesalers only open late till early morning (like 3-4am).
Written July 16, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brian J
Philadelphia, PA10 contributions
Jun 2022
A massive traditional market designed for local wholesalers and serious shoppers. It covers a huge area and can be overwhelming. If you’re a tourist just looking for a taste of traditional market shopping, I found nearby Namdaemun market to be much more manageable.
Written July 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mary C
Ada, MI326 contributions
Oct 2024 • Family
Came here on the recommendation of our daughter in law, who was seeking vintage clothing. Enjoyed browsing through the shops, though our d-i-l enjoyed shopping the most! I'm sure you could find most anything you want if you search long enough!
Written October 16, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bwin51_12
Thousand Oaks, CA11 contributions
Sep 2012 • Family
This was a mad, mad experience. Like a huge flea market indoors for fabric and all types of trim and buttons, etc. Some of the vendors do wholesale only as evidenced by their swatch only displays. Others are wholesale and retail depending on the bolts they have in their space. Some only have bolts and are most likely strictly retail. People are moving about constantly carrying huge bolts of fabric over their shoulder along with bags stuffed with purchases down narrow walkways. Designers, textile manufacturers shop here. It seems all of the textile business of Seoul is centered here. There are several buildings. The textiles are in one of them and takes us two floors divided Ito several sections that are oddly shaped and mostly enormous and busy. Another building has manufacturing on the third floor. Wander around. For the sewist, this is a dream on par with Hong Kong's garment district, maybe better.
Written September 6, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TravelDiaries_Pulkit
1,458 contributions
May 2018
Though I noticed that the reviews have been a bit harsh but honestly I did not face any. Yes, the shopkeepers here show some attitude but the quality and the price at this place is comparable to other markets. Since it is close to Marriott, a convenient shopping destination close by.
Written June 15, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michelle
21 contributions
Sep 2015
First of all, it is important to know that Dongdaemun market is broken up into two sections.
Section 1 is ONLY wholesale retail. The area is comprised of multiple buildings that unless you are a retailer, you should not bother going into. They will not sell to you unless you are buying in bulk. It opens at 8 p.m and is open until 5 a.m.
Dongdaemun Shopping Complex is a wholesale shop for fabric for example.
The second section which if you are just a tourist like myself, is where you want to go. Those buildings are 5 buildings, Hello AM PM, Migliore, Doota, and 2 others.
Doota and Migliore are configured like department stores where all the products are nicely displayed like an American department store such as Macy's. The other 3 buildings will look like a total mess. It's a different kind of shopping and one must get past that to actually shop. There are generally no dressing rooms, but they let you try things on, and you literally try things on right over your clothes. There is no bargaining really, but if you buy a couple of items they will give you a discount. The clothes CAN be cheap, but they are also priced fairly, where you can get shirts and dresses etc, for the equivalent of $15-25 USD (which isn't SUPER cheap considering you're buying from a market that doesn't look legit, it's not like you're shopping at a brand name store).
It's definitely an eye opener. Make sure that everything you buy says "Made in Korea" to ensure quality. A lot of designs and fashion is actually exported. We went to Hong Kong after our trip to Seoul and a lot of boutique stores source 100% of their product from Dongdaemun. So if you want to shop, this is the place to do it.
For men I think it is really difficult to shop in this area. A lot of the salespeople were very very aggressive and kept trying to get my boyfriend to buy things and try things on. To an extent where if he even grazed or looked at a shirt they would immediately take it out for him to try. It was a little overbearing and he was unable to shop comfortably. For myself it wasn't difficult to browse with a little more ease, but they are on top of you, and that can be a lot. There are SO SO MANY clothes and designs and stores. A lot of Korean fashion or Asian fashion in general is one size fit all as well, so if you're looking to get something tailored for a specific body type it might be hard when it comes to pants etc. I am fairly small, a "Korean Small" as they told me, so I was able to shop for sizes without a problem.
Another place I really recommend for shopping that is less overwhelming is Hongdae. It is much more manageable, and they are open until 10-11 pm.
Section 1 is ONLY wholesale retail. The area is comprised of multiple buildings that unless you are a retailer, you should not bother going into. They will not sell to you unless you are buying in bulk. It opens at 8 p.m and is open until 5 a.m.
Dongdaemun Shopping Complex is a wholesale shop for fabric for example.
The second section which if you are just a tourist like myself, is where you want to go. Those buildings are 5 buildings, Hello AM PM, Migliore, Doota, and 2 others.
Doota and Migliore are configured like department stores where all the products are nicely displayed like an American department store such as Macy's. The other 3 buildings will look like a total mess. It's a different kind of shopping and one must get past that to actually shop. There are generally no dressing rooms, but they let you try things on, and you literally try things on right over your clothes. There is no bargaining really, but if you buy a couple of items they will give you a discount. The clothes CAN be cheap, but they are also priced fairly, where you can get shirts and dresses etc, for the equivalent of $15-25 USD (which isn't SUPER cheap considering you're buying from a market that doesn't look legit, it's not like you're shopping at a brand name store).
It's definitely an eye opener. Make sure that everything you buy says "Made in Korea" to ensure quality. A lot of designs and fashion is actually exported. We went to Hong Kong after our trip to Seoul and a lot of boutique stores source 100% of their product from Dongdaemun. So if you want to shop, this is the place to do it.
For men I think it is really difficult to shop in this area. A lot of the salespeople were very very aggressive and kept trying to get my boyfriend to buy things and try things on. To an extent where if he even grazed or looked at a shirt they would immediately take it out for him to try. It was a little overbearing and he was unable to shop comfortably. For myself it wasn't difficult to browse with a little more ease, but they are on top of you, and that can be a lot. There are SO SO MANY clothes and designs and stores. A lot of Korean fashion or Asian fashion in general is one size fit all as well, so if you're looking to get something tailored for a specific body type it might be hard when it comes to pants etc. I am fairly small, a "Korean Small" as they told me, so I was able to shop for sizes without a problem.
Another place I really recommend for shopping that is less overwhelming is Hongdae. It is much more manageable, and they are open until 10-11 pm.
Written September 18, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Karen K
1,090 contributions
Apr 2018 • Friends
The most horrible shopping experience. It wasn't like that when I visited same place 2 years ago. The prices were so much more expensive than before and than in Myeondong. Plus, the owners were so hostile and I even witnessed a shop owner cursing and chasing customers away! My friend was also badly treated and left us very bad impression of them! The recent trip made me blacklist the stretch of shopping malls in Dongdaemun and will never return again!
Written May 20, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ai_Sakura
Singapore, Singapore12 contributions
Nov 2011 • Family
This is a famous mecca in Korea for shopaholics. If you think that 9am-9pm shopping hours are not enough for you, then you have to visit Dongdaemun because although store opening hours vary, a lot of the shops here are open until 5AM daily {except for Mondays or Public Hols}. Some are even open 24 hours!!!!
Dongdaemun is Korea's largest retail and wholesale shopping district. Major retail shopping centres include Doota {located within Doosan Tower}, Good Morning City, Hello apN and Migliore. All are walking distance from each other and have multilingual staff at the information desks at Level 1. However, individual store owners usually just speak a spattering of English so don't expect to converse with them much. There is a tourist information centre in front of Good Morning City or inside Doota though, and you can get your city maps & event information there.
For the wholesale shopping centres like Dongdaemun Shopping Complex, Migliore Valley, Gwanghee Fashion Mall and Heungin Stardom, they usually sell goods in bulk, and thus lower prices per piece. In the heart of Dongdaemun Market is Shinpyeonghwa Fashion Town, the largest wholesale market in Korea with over 1,200 stores! That alone should take you a few hours to go through...
More posts on our Korean trip here: http://www.sakuraharuka.com/search/label/korea
Dongdaemun is Korea's largest retail and wholesale shopping district. Major retail shopping centres include Doota {located within Doosan Tower}, Good Morning City, Hello apN and Migliore. All are walking distance from each other and have multilingual staff at the information desks at Level 1. However, individual store owners usually just speak a spattering of English so don't expect to converse with them much. There is a tourist information centre in front of Good Morning City or inside Doota though, and you can get your city maps & event information there.
For the wholesale shopping centres like Dongdaemun Shopping Complex, Migliore Valley, Gwanghee Fashion Mall and Heungin Stardom, they usually sell goods in bulk, and thus lower prices per piece. In the heart of Dongdaemun Market is Shinpyeonghwa Fashion Town, the largest wholesale market in Korea with over 1,200 stores! That alone should take you a few hours to go through...
More posts on our Korean trip here: http://www.sakuraharuka.com/search/label/korea
Written April 3, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
krys_k
London, UK647 contributions
Dec 2016 • Couples
Who on earth comes here at 4 in the morning to buy socks or any of the merchandise on sale here: clothes, electronics, homeware etc. Floor after floor, corridor after corridor, building after building, filled with millions of goods. And it's open from 10am until 5am. We arrived just after 11pm just to check it out (shopping is kryptonite to me). An interesting approach to consumerism.
Written December 19, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi,
Can one do a back of house tour of this market?
Written November 1, 2018
The ‘market’ covers a large area and compose of multiple shopping malls. I think just by walking around the area and shops by yourself you would be able to glimpse the transactions and price haggling(though not in English) between the sellers and buyers. Piece of advise, they certainly are not the friendliest people in the world so try to not interfere unless you are keen to buy something by the dozens. 🤣
Written November 1, 2018
Is the night market till open in late November? And what days it the night market closed?
Written October 22, 2018
Hello Annie! I know the market - or most of its shops at least - are closed on Mondays. I didn't go during the evening, although I got this hint from a touristic website: "the area stays open from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 a.m., allowing shoppers to do their thing almost any time the mood strikes them." Happy shopping!
Written October 22, 2018
I am looking for fabric. The kind you can buy by the yard. Something traditional?
Written September 28, 2018
Go to Dongdaemun Shopping Complex, which is just next to JW Marriot Hotel near Dongdaemun Subway Station. So many different fabrics here and you buy per meter or yard. Fabric starts about 6000 won a yard and it is closed on Sundays. You can order whatever you want and they will send it to your hotel free. Dongdaemun Station, Line 1 or 4, Exit 9. It’s just next to JW Marriot Hotel. If you walk from Doota, cross the river.
Written September 29, 2018
I went to Dongdaemun last Dec but sadly I could not find the street market. I saw malls such as migilore and a building that has all fashion clothes. Appreciate if someone can explain to me how to get to these market streets. Thanks.
Written September 1, 2018
From the malls return to Cheonggyecheon , which is the rive below street level. The market is along the road by the river and the side streets. Walk westwards
Written September 2, 2018
If I only have time to visit one market, either the one in Myeongdong or Dongdaemun, which is better for clothes and skincare?
Written May 18, 2018
If u hv only one day i guess myungdong is better for ur first trip in kr, cuz u can buy both skin care n garments, its easier for u
Written May 20, 2018
I am planning to get some cushion covers made for my rattan porch furniture. I need 12 covers: six seat and six back cushions, all with zippers. I have old covers to use as patterns.
How much should I expect to pay? (USD) I haven't picked fabric yet, and understand that will effect price. Just looking for ballpark figure.
Written April 17, 2018
zhukovamarina
Chisinau, Moldova
I am planing to by wholesale Korean style clothes ! Can anyone suggest if I am searching in the right place ?
Written March 19, 2018
Near to your hotel, there is Chungmuro Subway
Board subway from there and ride for two stops and you are at Dongdaemun station
the best way is to walk as it is nearby
Install Kakao Map or Naver Map app from play store
Now Kakao Map is available in English version
Copy the Korean characters and you are good to go
Start point: 티마크호텔
Destination: 동대문시장
Written December 19, 2017
Hi is dongdaemun market permanently closed? Bc that pops up when I search for dongdaemun market
Written November 23, 2017
No...its nor closed.
it's a huge place so maybe some part is closed do to winter but I really don't think the whole place can be closed.
although other markets are easier to find and to shop-eat-experience...
This one is to huge and to difficult to u understand bcuz it's many parts that's make it a market...
Try rather:
myeongdong
namdemun
kwangjang
Written November 23, 2017
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