Namdaemun Market
남대문시장
It is a district of independently operated shops rather than one venue, so visit by product category and verify specialist-market hours.
Language
Place information
- Korean name
- 남대문시장
- Address
- 21 Namdaemunsijang 4-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
- Nearest station
- Hoehyeon (Namdaemun Market) Station (회현역, Line 4) (Exit 7)
- Opening hours
- Mon~Fri 00:00–23:00 varies by shop
- Closed
- Every Sun
- Hours notes
- Visit Seoul publishes weekday hours only; it says nothing about Saturday.
- Admission
- No entry fee — you pay each vendor
Nearby
Sungnyemun Gate
The southern main gate of the walled city, designated a National Treasure in 1962. Roads now encircle it, so it reads as a gate detached from anything, but the southern run of the city wall once parted here.
Shinsegae Main Store restaurants
The restaurant floor of the Shinsegae Main Store. It opens ninety minutes after the shop below it and closes ninety minutes later.
Shinsegae Department Store Main Store
One address, four buildings, and the names changed in 2025 — so a page that still says "main building and annexe" is describing a layout that no longer exists. The reason to come without a shopping budget is on the fourth floor of The Heritage: a free museum of Korean retail history inside a 1935 bank.
Myeongdong Underground Shopping Center
An underground arcade of 61 shops linking the Lotte Department Store main branch to Myeongdong's main street. The passage stays open around the clock even when the shops do not. Myeongdong has a second arcade with a near-identical name: the one attached to Myeongdong Station is the Myeongdong Station Underground Shopping Center, a separate 70-shop arcade under Toegye-ro.
Frequently asked questions
How is it different from Gwangjang Market?
Gwangjang is built around a food alley you sit down in; Namdaemun is a shopping district where you eat while moving. Gwangjang's general market also closes on Sundays, but its food alley stays open until 23:00.
Do I need cash?
Bring some. Card acceptance varies across thousands of independent traders, and small stalls are not required to take one.
Stories about this place
- Four Places to Visit in Myeongdong: Namdaemun Market, the Cathedral, Shinsegae Main Store and N Seoul Tower
Four places within twenty minutes of each other, compared on what you see, when each one opens and which day to avoid. No two of them keep the same hours, so when you go decides the list before what you want to see does.
- Six Seoul Traditional Markets, Compared: Food, Opening Days and Tips
Gwangjang, Noryangjin, Namdaemun, Tongin, Gyeongdong and Mangwon compared on what to eat and buy, Sunday opening, and whether you need cash.
Nearby Food
- Five Seoul Korean Barbecue Restaurants: Hanwoo, Galbi, Bulgogi and Pork Belly
- What the broth is made of — eight Seoul houses, seven different bases
- Northern Korean Food in Seoul: Naengmyeon, Eobok-jaengban, Mandu and Kongbiji
- Seven Seoul houses that open for breakfast — before eight in the morning
- Six Seoul houses that make the noodle by hand — kalguksu, guksi, sujebi
- Enjoying Seoul's Cafe Culture
Travel Guides
Related articles
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- Four Indoor Shopping Places in Seoul: Myeongdong Underground, Nakwon Arcade, AK Plaza Hongdae and Starfield COEX
- Four Working Markets in Seoul: Garak, Dongdaemun Jonghap, Majang and Seoul Jungang
- Six Seoul Shopping Districts Compared: Myeongdong, Hongdae, Garosu-gil, Apgujeong, The Hyundai and Shinsegae
- Night Shopping in Dongdaemun
- Squid Game Filming Locations in Seoul — a Subway Platform, a Bus Terminal and a Convenience Store
