This weekend I explored two popular markets in Seoul: the Dongmyo Outdoor Flea Market and the Seoul Folk Flea Market.
These markets, known amongst young people as “Grandma and Grandpa’s Hongdae,” have become very popular amongst foreign tourists and locals alike for the variety of goods available for purchases. Each market features hundreds of stalls and vendors with their collection of wares laid out on tables and all over the street. They have almost everything that you would expect to find at a flea market and beyond. The items were mostly second-hand, but included clothing, jewelry, shoes, books, electronics, toys, knives, tools, CDs and records, and various household goods. In addition to the retail items, there were many street food stalls and vendors selling imported packaged food that one would typically find in a US supermarket at a hefty premium.
I was especially amused by all of the fake, knock-offs of famous and expensive brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Balenciaga, among others. It was funny to have a vendor try to convince me to buy a $40 Louis Vuitton handbag for my mother and try to convince me that it was, in fact, real. To be honest, it was a convincing fake.
Most of the vendors would only accept cash, but I did not bring much so I was really only there to browse. I enjoyed watching people negotiate and haggle over prices and quantities. A seller would make an offer on an item and the vendor would feign offense or frustration and come back with a counter-offer. This would continue for several minutes until they either agreed or dismissed each other in frustration. I did not attempt to do this as I do not have the language capability and did not want to perpetuate any stereotype as a ‘cheap American’ or ‘cheap foreigner.’
When we were finished at the markets, we took a stroll along the nearby Cheonggyecheon Stream. The stream is very famous in Seoul, and was the original location of the flea markets, as vendors would line up along the stream and setup their stalls before the stream’s restoration. The stream flows west to east through downtown Seoul, then connects with the Han River and ultimately empties into the Yellow Sea. Following the Korean War, the stream was covered by concrete and transportation infrastructure, and it was not until 2003 that the mayor of Seoul announced a project to restore the stream. The stream was finally revitalized in 2005, and serves as a symbol of the region’s enduring culture and history, while also beautifying the surrounding area. It was very cool to hear the story of Cheonggyecheon and see the wildlife that was living in and around the stream, but it was disheartening to see that there was significant trash buildup in several areas along it. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful place for a walk in the middle of a busy city, and clearly a place that many Koreans enjoy spending time.