Dongdaemun DDP Summary
Dongdaemun Landmark: Dongdaemun DDP Visit Intro!
Dongdaemun Design Plaza, also known as Dongdaemun DDP, is one of the most famous landmarks in Seoul. Today, we will introduce the general layout of DDP so that when you visit, you will not just end up sightseeing, but also go shopping too as there are great shopping spots.
Information
Address: 서울 중구 을지로 281
281 Euljiro, Jung-gu, Seoul
Hours: 10:00 - 20:00
Closed on New Year's, Lunar New Year, and Chuseok
Dongdaemun DDP
Dongdaemun DDP is a complex cultural space where various cultural events such as exhibitions, fashion shows, press conferences, forums, etc. are held. The cultural space is operated with the aim of introducing new products and fashion trends and sharing these ideas and projects with the world through exhibitions and other diverse experiences.
Every year, Seoul Fashion Week is held at the DDP. Other large companies hold events and exhibitions in this space, so there is always some sort of exhibition being held. If you are visiting Seoul, check to see what special festivals, exhibitions, or events are being held during your trip!
In the rare times when there isn't a special exhibition or event to attend, there are still lots to see in the area, such as the SMTOWN Store, Kakao Friends Shop, Design Store, and much more, so make sure to stop by!
The DDP Building
The infamous design of the DDP building was designed by one of the world's most renowned architects, Zaha Hadid. The architectural features of this streamlined, urban look make this place one of Seoul's most building pieces of architecture.
DDP is a very unique building, so if you're here for the first time, you could get lost! But don't worry, we will tell you all about the layout in this blog, so stay tuned!
The DDP building is divided into the following areas:
Zone A: Art Hall (B2 - 1F)
Zone M: Museum (B2 - 4F)
Zone D: Design Lab (B2 - 4F)
Design Market
Outdoor: Yigansumun Gate, Oullim Square, Dongdaemun Cultural History Park
1. Zone A: Art Hall
The Art Hall is the venue for events and exhibitions. It consists of the Art Hall and International Conference Hall.
The International Conference Hall and Art Hall are often chosen as the venue to hold publication events introducing the world's newest designs and products. There have been notable international events held here, such as Seoul Fashion Week, Espirit Dior, and Seoul Design Week.
Unfortunately for us, when we made our visit, they were in the middle of setting up a conference.
Cafe de Fessonia (1F)
If head to the back of the Art Hall, there is a cafe. The interior is very spacious and like all the other rooms in DDP, the ceilings were high and grand.
Hours: Everyday 09:00 - 24:00
Zone M: Museum
The Museum Hall is where there are various exhibitions held, museums, and a design playground where children can attend design workshops and play in the design playground.
Design Exhibition Hall & Museum (B2~)
The Design Exhibition Hall and Museum is a specialized space to share global trends and culture.
As of now, the Tim Burton Exhibition is being held, so if you're interested, stop by!
Exhibition Date: April 30 ~ September 12, 2022
Hours: DDP Hours (Every day 10:00 - 20:00), ticket booth closed at 19:00
Price: Adults 20,000 KRW; Youth (13~18) 15,000 KRW; Children (7~12) 13,000 KRW
Buy tickets at the ticket booth(Zone M B2) or online(Naver, Interpark, etc.)
Design Walkway (B2 ~ 4F)
From the 2nd Basement Floor to the 4th floor is the Design Walkway where a continuous hallway with design displays is at a slight slope. It is currently closed because of COVID19 but if it is open when you visit, take a look!
DDP Design Playground DiKiDiki (4F)
Dikidiki is a playground where kids can experience all five senses with artistic activities.
Depending on the weekday, kids can make key rings, cookies, etc. at their one-day classes and other workshop programs.
You can make same-day reservations so check out the Dikidiki site for more information!
Hours: Tues - Sun 10:30 - 18:30
Price: Children 15,000 KRW; Guardian 5,000 KRW
Grass Square (4F)
Next to the Design Playground is the Grass Square and Designer's Lounge. You can take a break at both areas and sometimes, there are events held here as well.
2. Zone D: Design Lab
The Design Lab is where you can get a variety of souvenirs and also see free exhibitions.
SMTOWN&STORE (1F)
Another reason to visit DDP! On the first floor of the Design Lab is where SMTOWN&STORE is located!
The store plays music and music videos from SM artists and you can buy their albums, merchandise goods, and more!
There is also a photo customizing machine where you choose a picture of your favorite artist, font, and stickers to make your own photo card! (Costs <6,000 KRW)
If your favorite K-pop artist is in SM, stop by!
Hours: Every day 10:00 - 20:00 (Closed on the third Monday of every month)
Light Space (1F)
Free Admission
Light Space is a room where they brought last year's Seoul Light, light media art that was shined on the exterior of DDP, indoors. The media art depicts Seoul's history, Hangeul, nature, and popular sites so come to the exhibition and take pictures!
Design Store (1F)
The Design Store is where you can buy goods and souvenirs with one-of-a-kind designs.
You can buy unique souvenirs for your friends back home. Although the price may seem a bit high, it's meaningful because of the special design!
Hours: Every day 10:00 - 20:00
D-Forest (1F)
Anyone can go into the D-Forest and study, have a meeting, or just take a break. When we visited, it felt like a spacious, quiet cafe and we saw some people working on their laptops(there are power outlets). There are also design and brand events held here as well.
Teteru World Museum (1F)
The Teteru Museum is an imaginative world for kids.
Hours: Weekdays 11:00 - 17:00 / Weekends 12:30 - 18:30
Price: 1,000 KRW
UD Lifestyle Platform (3F)
The UD Lifestyle Platform is a place where they display product ideas that the disabled could use to improve their daily living. People can examine each product and bring home ideas and broaden their perspectives.
There is a corner that asks citizens for ideas for Seoul's public bike designs! There are so many things you can personally experience in DDP, which makes it worth a visit. Anyone can become a designer and creator here!
Hours: Tues - Sun 10:00 - 18:00 (Last entry at 17:00); Closed on Monday
3. Design Market
The Design Market used to be filled with stores but because of the pandemic, most of them had to close, making the market empty. We hope DDP could go back to having the bustling crowd that it used to have.
There still is a convenience store and a few cafes(Rolling Pin, Gongcha, etc.).
At the food court, you can find a variety of options like tonkatsu, curry, nabe, and more! After looking at the many exhibitions at DDP, stop by the food court if you're feeling hungry!
Dakgalbi for 2 13,500 KRW *2
Cheese Fried Rice for 1 4,000 KRW
We had the infamous Chuncheon Dak Galbi at Rain and Star Dak Galbi DDP Branch.
The portions were big enough to make us full but we still got the cheese fried rice at the end to finish off our meal.
Hours: 11:00 - 20:30 (16:00 - 17:00 Breaktime / 19:30 Last order)
Kakao Friends Shop (B2)
You can find the Kakao Friends Shop at Oullim Square (B2).
There are new items added every season so even if you've been at a Kakao Friends Shop before, it's worth another visit!
Hours: 10:30 - 22:00 (Closed on the third Monday of each month)
4. Outdoors
Oullim Square
Oullim Square is seen as the center of DDP where you can find the entrance to the Museum Hall, Kakao Friends Shop, and more.
If you come out of Dongdaemun Historical Park Station Exit 1, you will immediately be in Oullim Square. There are art installments for the public to enjoy at Oullim Square.
Miraero
Straight News
If you are interested in Korean fashion, you might've taken a picture here before! This is a popular photo spot for fashionistas! Everyone should come to DDP in their best fit and take a few photos here.
Pal Street (8 Street)
There are 8 streets on Pal Street. The eight streets are connected to Cheonggyecheon, the subway station, Dongdaemun Fashion Town, Oullim Square, etc.
Before the pandemic, there were an array of food trucks and night market festivals held here!
5. Dongdaemun Historical Culture Park
Yigansumun Gate
Yigansumun Gate is what remains of Joseon Dynasty's sewage system. The Yigansumun Gate Exhibition is right next to the gate where they display design art and performances and have various programs.
Dongdaemun Stadium Memorial Hall
The Dongdaemun Stadium was built in 1925 and was demolished in 2007. Memorabilia of the sports events that were held at the stadium, artifacts, photos, and more are displayed at the memorial hall.
Hours: 10:00 - 19:00; closed on New Year's, Chuseok, and Every Monday
Price: Free
Dongdaemun History Hall
This is where the artifacts found when building DDP are exhibited.
Hours: 10:00 - 19:00; closed on New Year's, Chuseok, Lunar New Years
Price: Free
Gallery Moon
DDP Official Website
Gallery Moon is a design gallery open to the public. When we visited, there wasn't any artwork displayed, so keep that in mind when you visit!
Seoul Fashion Week
Seoul Fashion Week Homepage
Seoul Fashion Week is a global fashion business event held by the city of Seoul twice a year for SS/FW seasons on March and October. The top designers in Korea hold their fashion shows here and efforts to find young, new designers are made. Check out the Seoul Fashion Week schedule on their website.
If you would like to attend a show, get on their website and apply. Attendees will be picked randomly. If you do not have a ticket, however, you can watch the shows on a large screen that is shown on the exterior of DDP or ou can watch the shows live on their youtube channel. Seoul Fashion Week brings in all types of people interested in fashion who take pictures in Miraero. Cameras are everywhere trying to capture the best outfits! An event as big as this is worth visiting, even without a show ticket, to see the world of fashion at its best.
Yellow Balloon City Bus
In front of the DDP Art Hall, there is a bus stop where you can hop on the Yellow Balloon City Bus! The Yellow Balloon City Bus departs DDP and goes to the Blue House, Namdaemun Market, Insadong, and more, taking you to Seoul's urban and traditional sites, great for Seoul first-timers.
Click here for more information.
What to Eat Near DDP
These are the eateries that are less than a 10-minute walk from DDP.
J-Hidden House
A cafe that has kept the traditional exterior and interior of a Hanok. Get 10% off only here at Creatrip.
J-Hidden House | 10% Discount Coupon
Dongdaemun Butcher Shop (Dongdaemun JeongyukSikdang)
Get the best quality pork at an affordable price at Dongdaemun Butcher Shop.
Dongdaemun Butcher Shop | Reserve Here
Gyochon Chicken (Dongdaemun 1 Branch)
Their Honey Chicken series is loved by both Koreans and foreigners.
Gyochon Chicken Dongdaemun 1 | Free Salad
For more restaurant recommendations, click below.
Dongdaemun Restaurant Recommendations
For more cafe recommendations, click below.
Dongdaemun Cafe Recommendations
What to See Near DDP
Cheonggyecheon
Ride a bike along the Cheonggyecheon or just take a walk. This is a great place to take a breather whether it is day or night. At night, there are light festivals at Christmas and also a lantern festival celebrating Buddha's birthday.
Click here for more information on Cheonggyecheon.
All about Dongdaemun
Dongdaemun is famous for its shopping, DDP, Dongdaemun Historical Culture Park, and more. Visit DDP during the day and stop by a brightly lit Heunginjimun at night for a walk! For more information on things to do in Dongdaemun, check out the blog post below.
How to Get There
Take Subway Line 2, 4, or 5 and get off at Dongdaemun History Park Station Exit 1.
At Exit 1 is the entrance to Oullim Square, which is near Design Lab, Museum, Design Market.
If you exit through Exit 14 of Dongdaemun History Park Station, you will be able to see the whole landscape of the DDP building, along with the statue in the picture above.
For a more detailed explanation on how to get around Dongdaemun, click here.
We hope that you can enjoy a day at Dongdaemun DDP! If you have any questions or concerns, please leave a comment below or send us an email at help@creatrip.com! You can follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook to stay updated on all things Korea!