Shop and Stroll at Cheonggye Stream
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Thousands of people still stroll along the Cheonggye Stream every day, nearly a year and a half after its waters started flowing through downtown Seoul once again. Since the Cheonggye Stream restoration was completed in September 2005, its presence has been a welcomed sight for weary urban residents.
Today, Cheonggye Stream is one of Seoul's main tourist attractions.
The Cheonggye Stream starts near the Seoul Finance Center, downtown Seoul. No one can miss Cheonggye Plaza with its 20-meter high, multi-colored snail-shaped sculpture "Spring" by Claes Oldenberg. The walls along the stream's walkways are painted with colorful murals depicting Korean history and culture.
With all the attention focused on the stream, the nearby traditional markets are often ignored. Despite sometimes being a little crowded, dirty, noisy and smelly, traditional markets nevertheless have their own kind of charm not found in glossy, air-conditioned shopping malls. At these markets, you can find unique treasures, good bargains and a taste of the unpretentious side of Seoul.
Many of those who take a walk along Cheonggye Stream rarely explore the traditional markets just under their noses. The traditional markets are generally found between the Seungyo and Dasangyo bridges over Cheonggye Stream.
If you start from Cheonggye Plaza, the more than three-kilometer walk to Dasangyo may take close to three and a half hours. If you start at Seungyo, the walk would take about an hour and a half. Of course, if you decide to explore the many shops in the markets, the entire walk could keep you busy the whole day.
Here's a guide to some traditional markets and shopping centers along the Cheonggye stream:
Seun Electronics Shopping Center
The Seun Electronics Shopping Center, near Seungyo bridge, used to be the only place to buy consumer electronics goods, until Yongsan Electronics Market opened. Now, Seun pales in comparison to its larger and relatively newer competitor.
Don't be deceived by the rundown appearance of Seun: It can compete with Yongsan in terms of variety and price of electronic goods. Shops here sell a wide range of electronics, home and kitchen appliances and even therapeutic gadgets.
Located near Seun is Yeji-dong's watch alley, where you can get the best deals when buying watches. You can find all kinds of watches here, whether it's cheap plastic for a couple of won or top-brand names for millions of won. Some say the prices here are at least 20 percent lower than similar watches sold elsewhere.
Gwangjang Market
Gwangjang Market, near Baeogaedari bridge, is one of the oldest traditional markets and the biggest fabric market in Seoul. Gwangjang opened in 1905, as the first year-round market in the country.
There are hundreds of fabric stalls throughout the market, along with many stalls selling pants, shirts and Korean traditional hanbok at bargain prices. The quality of the inexpensive items may be a little iffy, but what can you expect for a 5,000-won striped-polo shirt or a 50,000- won hanbok?
Fans of vintage clothing will probably go crazy at Gwangjang's "alley of buttons" on the second and third floor. The secondhand clothes are sold at dirt-cheap prices. It is said that around 80 percent of the secondhand clothes in Korea are sold here.
Gwangjang Market is also known for its food alley, said to be one of the city's largest. Around 200 food stalls serve tasty dishes such as nokdu bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes), bori bibimbap (barley mixed with rice and vegetables), sundae (Korean sausage) and tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes). The bori bibimbap is popular since most of the vegetables and side dishes are freshly made at the market.
On a slow weekday afternoon, many old men are spotted chatting animatedly while drinking soju and eating large servings of nokdu bindaetteok.
Another surprising thing about Gwangjang is you can find shops selling imported food items. Here you can buy Japanese snacks and candy; American branded vitamins, shampoo, coffee, cookies and even perfume at prices lower than in supermarkets.
Bangsan Market
Bangsan Market is just across the Cheonggye Stream from Gwangjang Market. Bangsan is known as a "total package print town," hence the significant number of stores selling print and packaging materials.
But if you take the time to explore the area, you'll discover shops that sell everything you need in the kitchen such as mixers, measuring cups, cookie cutters and baking pans.
This is where housewives, professional cooks and bakers go to find baking supplies, cooking utensils and cooking equipment. You can buy large blocks of butter and chocolate, packages of fresh cream as well as bags of chocolate chips for 2,500 won and tiny packets of rainbow-colored candy sprinkles for 1,000 won.
Some shops also sell cake boxes, cupcake holders, paper bags and cute containers for homemade cookies and chocolates. A group of Korean college girls giggled as they admitted they were looking for ingredients and materials to make heart-shaped chocolates for their boyfriends.
Dongdaemun Market
The Cheonggye Stream cuts through the center of the bustling Dongdaemun fashion market. Seoul Business Agency tourism marketing director-general Park Nam-soon said since the completion of the stream renovation, Dongdaemun market has been rediscovered.
Park said Dongdaemun offers both traditional markets and modern shopping malls, so it caters to a broad market from teenagers to tourists to fashion buyers. There are 37 shopping malls with approximately 35,000 stores within a 2-kilometer radius. He estimated around 400,000 people pass through Dongdaemun area, making it one of the busiest shopping areas in the city.
Pyeonghwa Market is one of the oldest traditional, wholesale markets in Dongdaemun. Old Pyeonghwa Market sells mostly hats, underwear and clothes like nylon jackets and shirts for older customers, while New Pyeonghwa market sells sports wear goods.
Dongdaemun's traditional markets are a main source of raw materials for clothing companies. Dongdaemun General Market, which opened in 1970, is known for its wide selection of fabrics, thread, clothing accessories, trimmings and other materials.
No trip to Dongdaemun would be complete without checking out the cluster of modern shopping malls such as Doosan Tower, Migliore and Hello apM. These shopping malls have thousands of retail shops targeting the younger crowd with trendy, stylish clothes, shoes and accessories.
Dongdaemun comes alive during the evening, when the street markets and wholesale markets like Designer Club, Jeil Pyeonghwa and Heungin Stardom open. This is definitely one place where you can shop all night.
There is also the Dongdaemun Stadium Flea Market, called "total bazaar fair" of Seoul. You can find old books, albums, clothes, musical instruments and antique items. If you look beyond the grime and dirt, you can find good deals.