Dongdaemun Market's ever-evolving nature

Richard Rutt, future president of Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea, wrote in The Korea Times, Jan. 1, 1962, “I heard a young man talk of going to do some shopping in the Bae-ogae Market the other day,” which led him to realize that many of the younger Koreans around him were unsure of its location, despite knowing the name. “It was finally decided that Bae-ogae, Peartree Hill, was around the 4th intersection of Jongno, and so the name refers to the East Gate Market.”

As this reveals, more than 60 years ago, Dongdaemun Market was considered to be further to the west of its current location, founded as it was in 1905 on the current site of Gwangjang Market. It suffered destruction during the 1950-53 Korean War but was rebuilt in 1960. The war had also seen dozens of North Korean refugees settle further to the east in shacks along Cheonggye Stream and make a living by sewing clothing, establishing one of many “peace markets” that could be found throughout the nation.

The newly constructed Peace Market and reconstructed Ogansu Bridge published in The Korea Times, Dec. 6, 1961. / Korea Times Archive

When Cheonggye Stream was covered up to Dongdaemun and hidden under a wide street in 1958, these merchants banded together and demanded compensation. As a result, the three-story Peace Market building, then the largest in the country, opened in 1962, where it still stands today. When it opened, the Dong-A Ilbo described it as “a wholesaler of knitwear, children's clothing, school uniforms, jackets, and even denim” that had “become a market among markets.” One long-term result of this was to extend what was thought of as Dongdaemun Market further east.

The late 1960s would see several more buildings like the Peace Market built along Cheonggye Stream as it was covered further and an elevated highway was built above it. By this point, however, the original building was home to hundreds of sweatshops where young people toiled for more than 12 hours a day, 28 days a month, for low wages. It infamously became the site of Jeon Tae-il’s self-immolation protest in November 1970 as he called for employers to obey the Labor Rights Act.

A statue of Jeon Tae-il stands before the Peace Market on a bridge over Cheonggye Stream, Sept. 13. Courtesy of Matt VanVolkenburg.

Conflict of a less life-and-death nature was also found in the nearby baseball and soccer stadiums. The Japanese Government General began construction of a stadium complex in 1925 to commemorate the wedding of Crown Prince Hirohito, and after reconstruction in 1962, it served as a sports venue up until the early 2000s, even hosting Olympic soccer events in 1988. It also hosted the funeral processions of King Sunjong in 1926 and Kim Gu in 1949, as well as competing political rallies in the late 1940s.

Further east, in Hwanghak-dong, the infamous Dokkaebi (‘goblin’) Market grew up, where it was said you could buy anything, even a tank (though this may have been exaggerated). Originating in the 1950s, by the 1970s it had expanded under the shadow of the elevated highway and became known as a second-hand goods market. By 2003, however, ideas on urban development had shifted, and as the street and highway over Cheonggye Stream were removed so that the stream could be uncovered, the merchants were forced to move. In 2004 many moved into the now empty Dongdaemun Stadium, but this was a temporary solution at best, as plans to demolish the stadium had existed for years, and this began in 2007 after they were forced out for the second time. The next year, a large building housing the Seoul Flea Market opened in Sinseol-dong, and there is still a thriving weekend outdoor market stretching to Dongmyo Shrine today.

Toys for sale in the Dongdaemun Stationery and Toy Market, Oct. 5. Courtesy of Matt VanVolkenburg.

The shopping mecca that Dongdaemun Market is known as today only began to form in the late 1990s. A 2001 Korea Times article stated that at that time the market boasted “approximately 30,000 stores spread across 30 shopping centers” and explained that its expansion began when “The Migliore shopping complex, a sort of vertical market, opened in 1998,” followed by many more multi-story shopping centers in the area around the stadium.

While the number of shops has contracted somewhat, the area still draws many shoppers and tourists due to the presence of the building that replaced the stadium – Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), which opened in 2014. During its construction, Igansumun, a double-arched flood gate, part of the city wall that had been buried when the stadium was first built, was uncovered and incorporated into DDP’s design.

Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) Jan. 11, 2014, prior to opening / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

The Igansumun double-arched flood gate, discovered during construction of DDP, with Doosan Tower in the background, Oct. 4. Courtesy of Matt VanVolkenburg

The fate of that gate reflected the larger story of the disappearance of the Seoul’s fortress wall, which began in 1907 after Japanese authorities decided to modernize the city. The walls surrounding Dongdaemun began to be torn down in 1908, as was Ogansumun, the five-arch floodgate that spanned Cheonggye Stream. Three years later, more of the wall was destroyed to route Jongno to the north of Dongdaemun and widen the street, which the Government General’s mouthpiece, the Maeil Sinbo, reported was of “great convenience to the people.” More of the wall would disappear as the stadium was built and, further south, residential neighborhoods were constructed.

While efforts have been made to reconstruct the city wall and uncover Cheonggye Stream, other aspects of the area’s past remain forgotten. Just inside the wall’s floodgate used to stand two large hills to the north and south of Cheonggye Stream made from the sand dredged from the stream during a restoration project ordered by King Yeongjo in 1760. Home to beggars who tunneled into them for shelter, they disappeared by the late 19th century. Likewise, a tram depot station stood behind Dongdaemun gate (where the JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul hotel now stands) until 1968, when the tram system was discontinued. Even less-remembered is the Gyeongseong Suburban Railway, which operated between Dongdaemun and Ttukseom beginning in 1932. It had a station in front of the city gate until it was demolished in the mid-1960s.

Moving from the vanished fortress walls, highways and stadiums of the past to the 24-hour fashion center of tourism it is today, the Dongdaemun area’s story is one of constant reinvention, with each era building standing atop the traces of the last.

The aforementioned places will be visited, and many more stories about the area’s history and urban development will be shared, this coming Saturday in an excursion by RAS Korea. Participation costs 30,000 won, or 25,000 won for RAS Korea members. Visit raskb.com for more information.

Matt VanVolkenburg has a master's degree in Korean studies from the University of Washington. He is the blogger behind populargusts.blogspot.kr, and co-author of "Called by Another Name: A Memoir of the Gwangju Uprising."