Dongdaemun Market or Tongdaemun (abbreviated DDM) is a large commercial district in

Jongno-gu Bosingak bell pavilion Jongno District () is a district () in central Seoul, South Korea. It takes its name from a major local street, Jongno, which means "Bell Road". Characteristics Jongno District has been the center of the city for 600 yea ...

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

.Dongdaemun Market
at

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

. With traditional

markets Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: * Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand * Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market Geography *Märket, a ...

and shopping centers, it is a popular shopping and tourist destination that has been designated a “Special Tourism Zone” (관광특구) 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 (광장시장) as a company of the same name was set up as market management. The market was set in a closed structure until the

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, 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 Heunginjimun, literally "Gate of Rising Benevolence" or more commonly known as Dongdaemun, is one of The Eight Gates of Seoul in the Fortress Wall of Seoul, a prominent landmark in central Seoul, South Korea. The Korean name "Dongdaemun" means "Gr ...

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 protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...

s and

fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

clothes Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the 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 sheets of materials ...

shoes A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture t ...

and leather goods, sporting goods, plumbing and electronics, office supplies,

fortune teller Fortune telling is the practice of predicting information about a person's life. Melton, J. Gordon. (2008). ''The Encyclopedia of Religious Phenomena''. Visible Ink Press. pp. 115-116. The scope of fortune telling is in principle identical w ...

s, toys and food areas specialising in

Korean cuisine Korean cuisine has evolved through centuries of social and political change. Originating from ancient agricultural and nomadic traditions in Korea and southern Manchuria, Korean cuisine reflects a complex interaction of the natural envi ...

. 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 1/2 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 found, and Section 2 is on the side of the

Dongdaemun Design Plaza & Park The Dongdaemun Design Plaza, abbreviated as DDP, is a major urban development landmark in Seoul, South Korea, designed by Zaha Hadid and Samoo Architects & Engineers, Samoo, with a distinctively neofuturistic design characterized by the "powerful ...

, the old site of

Dongdaemun Stadium Dongdaemun Stadium was a sports complex in Seoul, South Korea and included a multi-purpose stadium, a baseball park and other sports facilities. It was located near Dongdaemun or Great East Gate. The surrounding Dongdaemun market had many vendo ...

. 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-Doota.jpg, Doota, one of the shopping malls in the Dongdaemun Market area File:Korea-Hanbok-Dongdaemun.market.jpg, A seller at a hanbok store in the market File:Seoul-Dongdaemun.Market-01.jpg, Shoe shops in Dongdaemun File:Dongdaemun-korean-food-9.jpg, Food counters File:Korean.clothes-Hanbok-01.jpg, Clothes for sale in a hanbok shop File:Dongdaemon-korean-food-8.jpg, Food counters File:Pyounghwa Clothing Market.jpg, Pyounghwa Clothing Market

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 Shopping districts and streets in South Korea 1905 establishments in Korea Retail markets in Seoul Food markets in South Korea