Dong means East, Dae means big, Mun/Moon means gate--so you've got a Great East Gate. Dongdaynum has department-type stores (Hello apm and Galleria are big ones) that are more like indoor bazaars. Each of the 9-10 floors are made up of about 80 sellers of basically whatever you like (mostly clothes). There are other buildings housing home furnishings and other specialty shops (nice thing, they are all concentrated in one place, making shopping easier).
If you find yourself in traffic in the middle of the night, it is likely that you are near Dongdaemun Market. Dongdaemun sells a variety of products like Namdaemun, however it is open 24-hours a day. The powerful appeal of Dongdaemun Market stems from the fact that you can buy everything you need at a reasonable price, in one convenient location and at anytime. The market is full of small stores selling their products on the street as well as several larger structures like Doosan Tower where hundreds of separate stores are contained.
Tax Refund System at Doosan Tower
Doosan Tower, a large local-fashion mall located in Dongdaemun Market, has a tax refund system enabling foreign tourists to claim a ten-percent refund on goods they purchase here. Currently 100 shops are participating ; Doosan tower plans to have all shops participate in the near future. When visitors purchase goods at shops displaying the "Tax-Free Shopping" signs, they can be reimbursed for the ten-percent VAT at the "Korea Refund" center located on the third floor of the passenger terminal building of Incheon International Airport. Doosan Tower also has a center offering information in several foreign languages and a variety of convenient services such as calling taxis, etc.
Foreigner Information Center of Doosan Tower
Tel : 82-2-3398-3114 (from 10:00 a.m. to 2 a.m. the next day)
Korea Refund Tel : 82-2-537-1755
Information Center for Foreign Shoppers An information center is open for prospective customers of Dongdaemun Market, both domestic and foreign alike, on the 2nd floor of Dongdaemun Tourist Information Center. Various services promoting shopping and exportation of products are offered here.
Outside there are many others hawking accessories, socks, toiletries (cheapest razors in Seoul, 1,000 won for 10...yes, less than US$0.10 each!), toys and food.
Everything is here.
Bargain everywhere. Never pay full price, always 10%-20% should come off. Never take your wallet out until you have the price firm. Never get too excited about an item. Always show flaws or make up some option or color you would prefer (one that they cannot give, thus should give you a discount for not having it). Always buy 2 or more items...should get a 20% discount at least for that. If you get 30%-35% off consider yourself a local.
Address:
Dongdaemoon Stadium Station (Lines 2,5,4) Exit #14
Directions:
Just get out at #14 (the busiest exit) and continue walking down the street. Hello apm and Galleria will appear on your left in a bit. Also check out the ji-ha-ba-do (street underpass/underground arcade) for more deals.
Source(s) :
Asia-Planet : Dongdaemun
Virtual-Tourist : Dongdaemun
Official Seoul City Tourism : Dongdaemun
