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Myeongdong () is a dong in
Jung-gu, Seoul Jung District () is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. Jung has a population of 131,452 (2013) and has a geographic area 9.96 km2 (3.85 sq mi), making it both the least-populous and the smallest district of Seoul, and is divided into ...
,
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 ...
between
Chungmu-ro Chungmuro is an avenue 1.75 km in length and 10–20 m in width and the area nearby, located in Jung-gu, central Seoul, South Korea. Since the 1960s, Chungmuro has been known as the street of culture, artists, and the film industry. Dansungs ...
, Eulji-ro, and Namdaemun-ro. It covers 0.99km² with a population of 3,409 and is mostly a commercial area, being one of Seoul's main shopping, parade route and tourism districts.
Jung-gu Jung District (), meaning "Central District," is the name of a ''gu'' (district) in several South Korean cities: *Jung District, Busan *Jung District, Daegu *Jung District, Daejeon *Jung District, Incheon *Jung District, Seoul *Jung District, Ulsan ...
Office, Retrieved 2010-05-26 (Korean)
In 2011, 2012 and 2013, Myeong-dong was listed as the ninth most expensive shopping street in the world. The area is known for its two historically significant sites, namely the
Myeongdong Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception ( la, Ecclesia Cathedralis Nostrae Dominae Immaculatae Conceptionis; ), informally known as Myeongdong Cathedral, is the national cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of ...
and the Myeongdong Nanta Theatre.


History

Myeongdong dates back to the
Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and ...
when it was called ''Myeongryebang'' () and mostly a residential area. During the Japanese era the name was changed to ''Myeongchijeong'' (, ''Meijicho'' in Japanese pronunciation) and became more of a commercial district, being influenced by the rising commerce in the neighboring Chungmuro area. It became the official district of Myeongdong in 1946, after
independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the s ...
.Myeongdong
from
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 ...
(Korean)
After the
Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top: ...
and into the 1960s, the economy blossomed and the financial sector from Namdaemun-ro and
Euljiro Euljiro is an avenue in Seoul named after Eulji Mundeok, the general who saved Korea from the invading Sui dynasty of China. During the period of Japanese rule, the street was known as Kogane-Cho (황금정; 黄金町). Euljiro starts at 97-3 ...
gradually expanded into Myeongdong. The area flourished as city renovations took place and highrise buildings were built. Many department stores, shopping centers, restaurants, upscale shops and boutiques set up their businesses in Myeongdong and it became popular with the young and trendy in the 1970s. Besides being a major commercial and financial district, Myeongdong has been a popular location for political demonstrations and protests, especially during the turbulent years of the 1980s and 1990s.
Myeongdong Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception ( la, Ecclesia Cathedralis Nostrae Dominae Immaculatae Conceptionis; ), informally known as Myeongdong Cathedral, is the national cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of ...
has been a frequent spot for many of these demonstrations and still is to this day. As of March 2000, Myeongdong's has been designated as a special Tourism Promotion Area and is one of the stops on the official Seoul City Bus tour's main route.


Characteristic

Seoul's financial hub is divided between here and Yeouido where the Korea Stock Exchange is located. Major insurance, securities, financial services companies, and investment firms with headquarters in Myeongdong include Citibank,
SK Corporation SK Group ( Korean: SK그룹, 에스케이그룹) is the second largest South Korean chaebol behind Samsung Group. SK Group is composed of 186 subsidiaries and affiliates that share the SK brand name and the group's management culture, named SKMS ...
,
Kookmin Bank Kookmin Bank or KB Kookmin Bank () is among four of the largest banks ranked by asset value in South Korea, as of the end of March 2014. It is the largest among banks in Korea and the 60th largest in the world as of 2017. History The current KB ...
,
Korea Exchange Bank Hana Bank (; KEB Hana Bank outside South Korea) is a commercial bank headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. Since its establishment as Korea Exchange Bank in 1967, it provides the largest range of foreign exchange products in South Korea. Histor ...
, Lone Star Funds,
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation is a Japanese multinational banking and financial services institution headquartered in Yurakucho, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The group operates in retail, corporate, and investment banking segment worldwide. It provides financial products and s ...
, ''AIG Korea Insurance'', Hana Bank, and HSBC. The Bank of Korea is also in the vicinity. Other notable landmarks in Myeongdong include the Chinese
Embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...
, which was first opened on January 4, 1949.
YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...
headquarters,
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...
Hall, Myeongdong Theater, and the oldest Catholic cathedral in Korea,
Myeongdong Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception ( la, Ecclesia Cathedralis Nostrae Dominae Immaculatae Conceptionis; ), informally known as Myeongdong Cathedral, is the national cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of ...
. Except for early morning and late night delivery hours, the main street and most of the alleys are blocked off for pedestrians to roam freely without being hindered by traffic.


Luxury shopping

Myeongdong is one of
Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...
's main shopping districts featuring mid-to-high priced retail stores and international brand outlets, including
Lacoste Lacoste S.A. is a French company, founded in 1933 by tennis player René Lacoste, and entrepreneur Mangkha. It sells clothing, footwear, sportswear, eyewear, leather goods, perfume, towels and watches. The company can be recognised by ...
, Polo Ralph Lauren, H&M, Zara, Forever 21,
Bulgari Bulgari (, ; stylized as BVLGARI) is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1884 and known for its jewellery, watches, fragrances, accessories, and leather goods. While the majority of design, production and marketing is overseen and exec ...
and
Louis Vuitton Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French high-end luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ranging from luxury bags and lea ...
, as well as Korean
cosmetics Cosmetics are constituted mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources, or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes. Those designed for personal care and skin care can be used to cleanse or protec ...
brands such as Nature Republic, Missha, The Face Shop and Skin Food. It is a particularly popular area for young people and tourists as a center for fashion and sight-seeing. Several large shopping centers and department stores are in the district including Lotte Department Store, Shinsegae Department Store,
Migliore Migliore (, meaning 'better' or 'best'; ko, 밀리오레, Milliore, is the name of a chain of department stores in South Korea that specializes in selling clothing and fashion accessories. The first store opened in the Dongdaemun shopping dist ...
, M Plaza, an
Noon Square
In August 2012, as part of Lotte Department Store's expansion programme into China, a replica of the street of Myeongdong is featured in its new store in
Tianjin Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popu ...
, with outlets of Missha, The Face Shop and Skin Food. The floating population of Myeongdong is estimated to be around 2 million a dayC.K. Jan
"Myeongdong commercial district"
MK Business News 2010-05-12 (Korean)
and in terms of floorspace rents, Myeongdong is one of the most expensive shopping districts in the world. Many hotels, restaurants, cinemas, theaters, and historical sites complete the diverse mixture of the area. In a poll of nearly 2,000 foreign visitors, conducted by the
Seoul Metropolitan Government The Seoul Metropolitan Government is a local government of Seoul, South Korea. The mayor is elected to a four-year term by the citizens of Seoul and is responsible for the administration of the city government. The Seoul Metropolitan Government d ...
in November 2011, stated that 13.4 percent named shopping in Myeongdong as their favorite activity in Seoul.


Tourist attractions

Myeongdong Festival has been hosted since 1982 to vitalize the commercial area and encourage tourism.Myeongdong Festival
,
Jung-gu Jung District (), meaning "Central District," is the name of a ''gu'' (district) in several South Korean cities: *Jung District, Busan *Jung District, Daegu *Jung District, Daejeon *Jung District, Incheon *Jung District, Seoul *Jung District, Ulsan ...
Office
It is usually held twice a year: from the end of March to the middle of April in spring, and the month of September in autumn. Parades, music and dance performances, fashion shows and other spectacles are part of the festivities. Many shops and stores offer product sales and discounts during this time as well. In 2012, the area hosted the street parade of the Cheonan World Dance Festival in October. * China Street


Local transportation

The southern part of Myeongdong is served by Station #424, Myeong-dong on Line 4 of the Seoul Subway, while the northern area is closer to Station #202, Euljiro 1-ga on
Line 2 Line 2 or 2 Line may refer to: Public transport Americas *2 (New York City Subway service), a rapid transit service in the A Division of the New York City Subway *2 Line (Sound Transit), a light rail line in Seattle, Washington *Line 2 Bloor–Dan ...
.


Education

International schools include: * Seoul Chinese Primary SchoolSEOUL CHINESE PRIMARY SCHOOL
." International School Information, Government of South Korea. Retrieved on March 30, 2016.


See also

*
Myeongdong Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception ( la, Ecclesia Cathedralis Nostrae Dominae Immaculatae Conceptionis; ), informally known as Myeongdong Cathedral, is the national cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of ...
* List of upscale shopping districts * Economy of South Korea


References


External links


Visit KoreaMyeongdong Tourist Info
(English)
Life in KoreaMyeongdong Tourist Zone
(Korean)
Myeongdong resident office website
{{coord, 37.5637, N, 126.9840, E, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:KR, display=title Neighbourhoods of Jung-gu, Seoul Shopping districts and streets in South Korea Tourist attractions in Seoul