Seoul's biggest traditional market, beside the old south gate and a short walk from Myeongdong, with about ten thousand shops and two food alleys people cross town for.
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남대문시장 (nam·dae·mun·si·jang) is the market beside 숭례문, the old south gate, at the western edge of Myeongdong. The market's own site counts about 10,172 shops on roughly 20,000 평 (about 66,000 square metres), 1,700 kinds of goods and around 300,000 visitors a day, some 10,000 of them from abroad. Visit Seoul traces it to a market street of the mid-Joseon period.
Clothing is the core. Visit Seoul says the children's wear section holds 80% of the national children's clothing trade and names 대도, 퀸플라자 and 장띠모아 among the adult wear buildings. Kitchenware, food, accessories, folk crafts and imported goods fill the rest. Hours differ by shop; Visit Seoul lists the market as open Monday to Saturday and closed on Sunday, with stalls running from the small hours.
The food is what most visitors come for. The Korea Tourism Organization names the 갈치조림 alley, the 칼국수 alley, 야채호떡, 닭곰탕, the oxtail soup houses 은호식당 and 진주집, and 부원면옥 for North Korean-style cold noodles.
Take line 4 to 회현역 and use exit 5. The market's site says exits 5, 6 and 7 are all about five minutes on foot, and Visit Seoul puts exit 5 at 17 metres from the market address. The 칼국수 alley is to the left through the exit 5 arch; the 갈치조림 alley is to the right.
Where is the braised hairtail alley?
How many of you?
Tip Many shops close on Sunday (Visit Seoul).
checked Nov 4, 2026
동네 Neighborhoods · 길명동MyeongdongSeoul's main shopping district for visitors, about a kilometre of cosmetics shops, department stores and street carts between Myeongdong station on line 4 and Lotte's main store at Euljiro.
장소 Places · 맛남대문시장 갈치조림골목Namdaemun Market Galchi-jorim AlleyA lane of more than fifteen small restaurants inside Namdaemun Market that all cook the same dish, spicy braised hairtail, from early morning.
장소 Places · 맛남대문시장 칼국수골목Namdaemun Market Kalguksu AlleyThe narrow noodle lane just inside Namdaemun Market's exit 5 gate, where you eat at a long counter and one bowl of kalguksu comes with tastes of everything else.
먹을것 Food and drink · 맛칼국수KalguksuNoodle soup made from wheat dough rolled out and cut with a knife, boiled in a chicken, anchovy or clam broth. The name is knife (kal) plus noodles (guksu).
장소 Places · 길남산케이블카Namsan Cable CarThe cable car from the foot of Namsan, ten minutes' walk from Myeongdong station, up to N Seoul Tower in about three minutes.
장소 Places · 멋신세계백화점 본점Shinsegae Department Store Main StoreShinsegae's flagship department store by Hoehyeon station, with a food market in the basement, a duty-free shop on floors 8 to 11 and the Christmas light show on its outside wall.
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