Namdaemun Market (남대문시장) - Area information - Korea travel information

Namdaemun Market (남대문시장)

6.5Km    2024-05-17

21, Namdaemunsijang 4-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-753-2805

Opened in 1964, Namdaemun Market is the largest traditional market in Korea with shops selling various goods. All products are sold at affordable prices and the stores in this area also function as wholesale markets.

Most of the goods are made directly by the storeowners. Namdaemun Market is even open overnight, from 23:00 to 04:00, and is crowded with retailers from all over the country. When day breaks, the site of busy shoppers bustling around the market creates a unique scene that attracts tourists worldwide. Namdaemun Market sells a variety of clothes, glasses, kitchenware, toys, mountain gear, fishing equipment, stationery, fine arts, accessories, hats, carpets, flowers, ginseng, and imported goods.

Namdaemun Shopping Center (남대문 종합상가)

6.5Km    2021-06-04

21, Namdaemunsijang 4-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-753-2805

Thanks to its rich history, Namdaemun Shopping Center boasts not only an impressive array of items, but items not available elsewhere. For instance, visitors can find all kinds of hard-to-get camera parts and accessories. Local products from across the country are also readily available in Namdaemun Shopping Center.

Namdaemun Jungang Shopping Center (남대문 중앙상가)

6.5Km    2020-04-17

21, Namdaemunsijang 4-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-753-2805

Jungang Shopping Center boasts diverse items for women. Its first floor is devoted to shops selling women's clothing and accessories with colorful designs, appealing to female customers. The second floor houses shops selling folk crafts and tradtional crafts, popular among international tourists. It also deals with bedding items, handicrafts, linen and cotton items, and tradtional wedding items.

Oh, Linzi / 오린지

6.5Km    2023-11-06

19, Songpa-daero 48-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul

Jangan Accessory Shopping Center (장안 액세서리상가)

6.5Km    2021-06-04

42-2, Namdaemunsijang 4-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-753-5600

Jangan Accessory Shopping Center has a history of offering visitors unique accessories with colorful designs. Each shop boasts its own items, different from other stores. Visitors can enjoy purchasing accessories at discounted prices.

Bank of Korea Money Museum (한국은행 화폐박물관)

6.5Km    2018-10-25

39, Namdaemun-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul

The Bank of Korea Money Museum introduces the history of the currency culture home and abroad through the history and documents related to the Bank of Korea. The museum is not just a cultural space, but also a great place for hands-on education. Exhibitions explain the minting process and the recognition of counterfeits as well as displaying systematic research documents on money and the state economy.

Bank of Korea Money Museum (화폐박물관)

6.5Km    2024-03-18

39 Namdaemun-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul

This Renaissance-style three-story stone building is the museum of the Bank of Korea. The older Bank of Korea was established as the central bank of the Korean Empire in 1909 and has been designated as a National Historical Site. During the Japanese colonial period, the bank was renamed the Bank of Joseon, and the building was used as the main and head office of the Bank of Korea until 2001. The building has been used as the nation’s Money Museum since June 2001 in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Bank of Korea. The museum has 13 exhibition rooms on two floors, with one basement floor and two above-ground floors. It holds special exhibitions of various currency and art collections to provide domestic and foreign visitors with the opportunity to enjoy the history and culture of currency. Visitors can learn about the Bank of Korea and the central banking system, as well as how to identify counterfeit notes and how money is produced and circulated. It is also a good place for children to learn about currencies from around the world. Advance reservations are required, and parking is not available. The museum can easily be reached via subway by getting off at Hoehyeon Station (Seoul Subway Line 4) and exiting through Exit 7. 

Jongno 3(sam)-ga Jewelry District (종로3가 귀금속 전문상가)

6.5Km    2021-06-10

Jongno3-ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul-si
+82-2-1330

There is an enormous selection of wholesalers and retail jewelry stores in this district, spread throughout Jongno 3(sam)-ga and 4(sa)-ga. The glittering showcases here are especially popular amongst couples and foreign tourists looking to find fine jewelry at affordable prices. Stores in the jewelry district have a selection of designs that are extraordinarily diverse and prices that are 30 to 40% lower than at other jewelry outlets in Korea.

- A fabulous selection at wholesale prices
The Jongno 3(sam)-ga Jewelry District is located in Jongno, with shops flooding the alleyways all along the main street and stretching for a length of one kilometer. The area holds a total of over 1,000 jewelry stores, some 300 design and manufacturing stores, and 20 licensed evaluators.

The Jongno 3(sam)-ga Jewelry District originated in Yeji-dong of Jongno 4(sa)-ga, then expanded to include Bongik-dong near the Danseongsa Theater at Jongno 3(sam)-ga.
As the district grew, retail jewelry stores both large and small populated both sides of the main street from Jonggak to Jongno 5(oh)-ga.
Most of the stores in Yeji-dong deal in watches and gemstones, giving the area the name Watch Alley. The back alleys of Bongik-dong and Yeji-dong are mostly filled with wholesalers whose clients consist of brokers and jewelers from around the country. Retail sales are possible at these shops, but some of them might hesitate to deal in small quantities.
The larger stores along Jong-ro literally glitter with dozens of flashy showcases presenting a great selection of jewelry and other precious metals. Prices are already discounted to begin with, but you may be able to bargain even further.

Stores in this district are affiliated with setting factories, so if you have a special design in mind, you can probably get it custom ordered. Thus, if you go in with a brand name jewelry brochure, they will most likely be able to make a similar looking item or even customize it to your preferences.
In addition to its grand variety of diamonds, rubies, domestic amethysts, and almost any precious stone you can imagine, gold is also available in 14k, 18k and 24k yellow or white, as well as in platinum. Watches are often discounted at 50-60% off the retail price, and of course this is the very best place to buy fancy wedding jewelry at amazingly low prices.
We suggest, however, that you take your time and look around, because prices, not to mention their inventory, will vary significantly from shop to shop.
As soon as a new brochure is published by an international brand such as Cartier, TIFFANY or BVLGARI, near-identical designs appear in these stores almost immediately.
Furthermore, this area has recently become the home of accessories for famous Korean entertainers. Companies in the district will consult with coordinators, then design and manufacture items, and lend them to stars for them to wear. When entertainers wear this jewelry on television, the coverage serves to promote these designs. Examples of designs that have attracted a lot of attention previously, include Lee Seung-yeon’s earrings, Jeon Ji-hyeon’s necklace, Moon Hee-jun’s necklace, Lee Yeong-ae’s earrings, and much more.

Nowadays, many foreign tourists, especially Japanese tourists, make the trip to the Jongno 3(sam)-ga Jewelry District, as prices here are much cheaper than in their home countries.
The Jewelry District is conveniently located at the center of Seoul’s major palaces and near the downtown areas. Of these, the closest tourist areas include Myeong-dong, downtown Jong-ro, Dongdaemun Market, and Namdaeumun Market.

Yangjaecheon Ecological Park (양재천 생태공원)

6.5Km    2017-12-23

Baumoe-ro 12-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul

Yangjaecheon was originally the first tributary to the Hangang River, but, it became an artificial river as a result of the Hangang River Coastal Development Project and some other changes by surrounding developments.

Heukdonga Myeongdong (흑돈가 명동)

6.5Km    2024-03-07

21, Myeongdong, 7-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
+82-2-3789-0080

Situated in Myeongdong, Heukdonga focuses on Jeju-style grilled black pork. Once black pork cut into thick chunks are grilled over charcoal, it is ready to be served with salted anchovies or pickled perilla leaves. The meat is grilled on a wire mesh over charcoal, which renders the fat and gives it a nice charcoal flavor. After finishing the meat, patrons have the option to soybean paste jjigae with rice or cold buckwheat noodles, which are also a must-try in Korean barbecue restaurants.