Shopping in Dongdaemun

Dongdaemun - just one sentence to describe this place: "Gals shopping paradise!" And guys, sorry nah..you will get your pocket burnt a damn big hole when your wife or gf is here. But dun worry..guys too can pick fashionable style here too! Time to have your wardrobe overhaul here if you have a boring closet! So guys and gals, I suggest that you should go shopping hunt separately to save time! :-P

Anyway, before you start your shopping marathon, do note that the price in Dongdaemun is relatively higher compared to Myeondong and of course, for the price you pay..you get better quality item, especially those "Made in Korea" (I strongly recommend that you should get at least 1 piece of "Made in Korea" clothes as they really have superb quality *thumbs up*). The shops around Dongdaemun differs in prices, from mid-scale to high end. And you know what's the best part of shopping here??! Most of the shopping malls here are opened from 10am to 5am daily!!! Isn't that wonderful where you can shop all night long till you are broke! LOL! 

There is a major street that goes through Dongdaemun Market, dividing it into 2 sections. See the map below where the yellow line is the divider.

Section 1 & 2 of Dongdaemun Market

Section 1 (the left hand side of the map) mainly features the retail stores. Major shopping malls in this area include Doota (located within Doosan Tower), Migliore, Good Morning City, Freya Town and Hello apM. Due to time constraint, I just managed to shop only in Doota :-(

Doota Mall

Doota, one of the many large fashion malls located in Dongdaemun Market, has a tax refund system enabling foreign tourists to claim a 10% refund on goods that you purchase here. When visitors purchase goods at shops displaying the "Tax-Free Shopping" signs, they can be reimbursed for the 10% VAT at the "Korea Refund" center located on the 3rd floor of the passenger terminal building of Incheon International Airport. Check here for more information of Tax Refunds in Korea for visitors.

Guess what is my shopping haul from Doota? Well..as the price is quite steep, just managed to get a vest jacket (which cost me about RM100+ after conversion) which I luv so muchie as I saw lotsa of Korean ladies wearing such fashion.

Me wearing the vest jacket the next day (really can't wait :-P) Alvina, the lady in my tour praised my vest is nice *grin* Nice bo?

Section 2 (the right hand side of the map above) mainly features wholesale shops. Like the shopping malls in Section 1, the shopping malls in Section 2 sell both retail and wholesale goods. However, unlike Section 1, most of the items are only available in bulk. The malls here usually open at about 8 p.m. and close at about 5 a.m. the next day. Do note that there is usually no dressing rooms available for the wholesale shops in this area.

Younger shoppers usually shop at Designer's Club, Migliore Valley, Nuzzon and Gwanghee Fashion Mall, while middle-aged shoppers tend to prefer shopping at Jeil Pyeonghwa, and Heungin Stardom.

How to get here?

Transportation: 

Seoul Subway Line 2 Dongdaemun Stadium Station, or Line 1 or 4 Dongdaemun Station. You can alight either at Dongdaemun Station (동대문역) or Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station (동대문역사문화공원역).

End this post with a photo of me in Dongdaemun :-)

Outside Doota mall

Remember to checkout my full Korea travelogue here.