Wanderlust Wednesdays: Namdaemun Market (Seoul, Korea)

A trip will never be complete without buying souvenirs.  Although, the Husband and I bought a few pieces of souvenirs in tourist spots where we went, we wanted to go to a real market so on our last morning in Seoul, we woke up early and made a quick trip to Namdaemun Market before we hung out at Myeongdong (which will be featured in next week's WW).

Namdaemun Market is a large traditional market in Seoul, South Korea. The market is located next to Namdaemun, the "Great South Gate," which was the main southern gate to the old city.

Namdaemun Market is one of the oldest continually running markets in South Korea, and one of the largest retail markets in Seoul. The streets in which the market is located were built in a time when cars were not prevalent, so the market itself is not accessible by car. The main methods of transporting goods in and out of the market are by motorcycle and hand-drawn carts. It occupies many city blocks, which are blocked off from most car traffic due to the prevalence of parking congestion in the area. The market can be accessed by subway or bus; the location is within a 10 minute walk from Seoul metropolitan station and is even closer to the subway Hoehyeon Station, Line 4.

Much of the market is outside, but there are also many stores which line the streets. Many retailers buy their items, particularly clothing, at wholesale prices at Namdaemun, to resell in their own stores in other cities. Namdaemun is a popular tourist attraction. (source)

Namdaemun Market reminded me of a wet-and-dry market, only this one is cleaner.

The Things We Saw at Namdaemun Market

Something Pink and Girly: Sunvisors, Headbands and Hair Clips

Souvenir Items: Fans, Key Chains, Cellphone Chains, Wallets, Ref Magnets

Silverware

Earthen Bowls, Pots and Pans

Baskets, Decors for the Home

Clothes

Something for the Fan Girls and Boys of Korean Entertainment

Just like in the Korean Drama "Secret Garden", they sell socks with the Stars' photo on them

Korean Hello Kitty!  They're soooo cute.  I wanted to buy them but they were expensive (40,000won each) and they weren't even authentic.

Photo Tip: Some store owners forbid tourists from taking photographs of the products they sell.

We spent a good hour and a half going around Namdaemun Market and when we were walking towards Myeongdong, we saw a Korean Chess Board on the side of the street, complete with janggi (refers to the chess pieces).  I only see this Korean Chess Board in Kdramas and I'm glad I got to see how it really looks in real life.

Next week:  Myeongdong (The Shopping Mecca of Seoul)