Dongmyo Flea Market

Step out of Exit 3 of Dongmyo Station and you are already in the Dongmyo Flea Market, often called the biggest flea market in Seoul. Its streets overflow with second-hand goods of every kind, from heaps of used clothes on the pavement to film cameras, old LPs and CDs, wristwatches and sewing machines. It was once nicknamed "Hongdae for the elderly" because most shoppers were older people, but today young vintage hunters and travellers outnumber them.

From Hwanghak-dong to Dongmyo

There may have been a market here as far back as the Joseon period, but today's second-hand market took shape in the 1980s, when junk dealers began to cluster here. The Hwanghak-dong Flea Market, just south of Cheonggyecheon, had long been known for antiques and junk; when the Cheonggyecheon restoration project went ahead, most of its traders moved to the Seoul Folk Flea Market near Dongdaemun, and those who stayed set up around Dongmyo, making the market here far bigger. After it featured on the TV variety show Infinite Challenge in 2013, young people began flocking in. Across the stream on the Hwanghak-dong side, alleys of second-hand electronics, tools and antiques are still there.

Layout

The market is shaped like a T with two main branches.

• Vintage clothing street: clothes are piled into mounds along the roadside, many for KRW 1,000–5,000 a piece. In the side alleys, vintage shops sell the better pieces they have picked out.
• Antiques street: stalls laid out with antique watches, film cameras, radios, old sewing machines, used tools and household odds and ends.

Dongmyo, which gave the market its name, is the shrine to the Chinese general Guan Yu right next door. Pop inside its stone walls before or after you shop.

On to the Seoul Folk Flea Market

The Seoul Folk Flea Market (Seoul Pungmul Market), where most Hwanghak-dong traders moved during the Cheonggyecheon restoration, is an indoor market to the east near Sinseol-dong Station. Antiques, crafts, souvenirs, clothes, electronics, toys, paintings and furniture are all under one roof, and apart from the food court it opens 10:00–19:00 (as of 2021). Unlike the street stalls of Dongmyo it works in the rain too, and walking both markets shows you how the area's second-hand trade fits together. Dongmyo and Sinseol-dong stations link the two from either side.

Tripto tips

• When to go: on weekdays only some shops and stalls open, but on weekends almost every pitch is out. Saturday afternoon, when fresh stock comes in, is known as the best time to browse.
• Paying: many stalls take cash only. Bring plenty of small notes and a tote bag or small wheeled case.
• Shopping: vintage clothes often run large and vary in condition, so check carefully. Some stalls are open to haggling.
• Food: the alleys sell cheap snacks such as old-style street toast, makgeolli by the glass and noodles.
• Getting there: take Exit 3 of Dongmyo Station on Lines 1 and 6 and you are in the market. It is also walkable from Dongdaemun Station, Heunginjimun Gate and Cheonggyecheon.
• Time: 1–2 hours go by quickly just browsing. At midday on weekends the alleys get very crowded, so keep an eye on your belongings.