Dongdaemun: the gate where fashion never sleeps

THE ORIGINAL ESSAY

Dongdaemun, the Great East Gate, is home to one of the largest shopping districts in the world. A visit to Dongdaemun is a head spinning, eye-opening experience, one that should not be missed. But don’t come in the afternoon; fashion here belongs to the night. Endless neon malls tower over you as you brave the surging crowds outside, and once you enter, you’ll forget that time exists and maybe even shop ‘till dawn.

Dongdaemun is, if anything, impressive; a startling place of staggering proportions. The market consists of 30 shopping centers and some 30,000 stores. More surprises await as you enter. Looking like department stores from the outside, they are closer to indoor bazaars, each floor housing numerous open booths hardly bigger than closets. Numerous market stalls selling similar items are concentrated in one place, to make shopping and bargaining easier. Bargaining is a necessity here. Never pay full price, and don’t be afraid to walk away if the shopkeeper isn’t in a bargaining mood as the next shop is only a few steps away. This is the place to discover Korean designer fashion. About 10,000 obscure designers work into the night to make their dreams come true and can offer some unique items that rival the great designer labels of the world. These designers joined together with manufacturers to trade in textiles, clothes, shoes, sports goods, stationery, toys, household goods, and accessories. It may take a discerning eye, but you can sometimes find better textures and designs than those at department stores. The old baseball stadium even has a flea market that offers everything, from furniture to perfume, but mainly specializes in used electrical equipment.

Dongdaemun really gets busy after midnight. Though retail shopping is open from 10am to 6pm, the focus of most shops is wholesale. Open from 8pm until 9am, the owners of small clothing shops from across the country come here to get their products. If you turn up, you can cut out such middlemen as many of the shops will also sell to retail customers. But don’t expect good service or dressing rooms, just use your instincts to find a bargain.

In Seoul, fashion never sleeps. So on sleepless nights, take your energy and your wallet and go bargaining in this brilliant bazaar.

From Peter’s supplied Seoul guidebook introduction, chapter 19. Original observations and historical framing are retained. PDF line-break and spacing repairs are recorded separately from factual updates. Guidebook photography and venue directories are not republished.