Dongdaemun Wholesale Market tour. Local guide takes you shopping for women's clothing, shoes, bags, accessories, and children's clothing all in one go!
Christine Chao
a year ago
1. Local Guide Self-Introduction
Hello~ everyone, I'm Christine from Taiwan. I used to be someone who had absolutely no interest in Korea, and even thought I would never travel to Korea. I didn't know any K-POP idols at all. Until I met a Korean man in Australia, got married, and moved to Korea. At first, I didn't know anything when I came here, and now I have learned Korean, fallen in love with Jung Hae In, and have been living in Korea for almost 5 years. My favorite thing about Korea is the distinct four seasons, with snow in winter, flowers in spring, and romance in every season.
(Image: Part of the romantic spring in South Korea - Cherry Blossoms)
2. What triggered the start of planning this trip?
My other identity is a Korean goods store owner. I run a Korean women's clothing purchasing agent, often go to Dongdaemun. I have been running for about three years. I dare not say how familiar I am with Dongdaemun, how many local snakes I know, and how I have become a local guide. It's just because my friends know that I love to follow after I buy goods in Dongdaemun. Even after going a few times, they say they want to go next time and even invite other friends to go together. Sometimes I feel like I'm leading a group. One day, I accidentally saw Creatrip recruiting local guides and thought that the idea of being a guide in Dongdaemun wholesale market might be very popular. So I wrote my wholesale market itinerary and started my guiding life.
(Image: Some Matters of Personal Shopping)
3. What can I experience by booking this itinerary?
Before starting to plan the trip, I did some research online. It seems that most people think that going to Dongdaemun has to be done late at night, but actually I go to buy goods in the morning! The shoe city and bag city are both open around 2 am, so it's better to go in the morning to avoid getting too tired. You can find shoes, bags, women's clothing, children's clothing, and socks all in one place, so buying anything is not a problem. After walking around the wholesale market in the morning for three years, I find that it's just as enjoyable as at night, and it's still great for treasure hunting! Some places may not look great from the outside, but once you go in, it's like falling into a different dimension. It always takes a while to find your way out, and if you get tired, I can take you to a hidden gem of a coffee shop nearby, or if you're hungry, there's a fish cake street vendor you can eat at. The wholesale market during the day is not as busy and crowded as at night, so it's more relaxing to stroll around. You also don't have to worry about not having a subway or bus to take you back after the tour ends. Tourists can easily move on to their next travel itinerary after experiencing the trip, as transportation is very convenient!
4. What do you think is the selling point of this itinerary?
Wholesale market is really a huge business district that gathers all styles together. Some people are very curious about wholesale markets, but because there are too many wholesale malls, they don't know where to start at first. It can be like finding a needle in a haystack to find your favorite style here, and you may also be reluctant due to language barriers. If there is someone who can speak Korean and knows how to deal with wholesalers to take you there, wouldn't that be great? Want to purchase various categories at once, whether it's shoes, bags, accessories, or even the style of clothing you want to shop for, they can arrange a route for you. Whether you want to shop for men's clothing, or want to buy clothes for children, you can get it all done here at once!
Also, when shopping at this wholesale market, there is a high chance of seeing Korean sellers live streaming, which can be a pretty cool experience!
5. Have there been any interesting anecdotes during the trip?
Once a guest who was a web editor mentioned a wholesale building name that I had never heard of before. I searched online and found out that there is indeed such a building in Dongdaemun. However, I have never been inside, and suddenly I feel like a somewhat clueless tour guide.... (But most of the wholesalers in that building are almost retail now, and there are quite a few tourists shopping inside!) Then we went to explore the building she mentioned, and I felt like I had discovered a whole new world.
There was another customer who bought like he was a wholesale customer, I was worried he wouldn't be able to carry the stuff back to the hotel.
(Image: Two of the little guests)
6. After becoming a tour guide, what changes have you experienced?
The first part is when I suddenly started researching the historical development of Dongdaemun in Korea. In case a guest asks me about it and I can't answer, it would be embarrassing, but so far no guests have shown any interest in this part.
The second part is now very fond of watching others' live broadcasts in Dongdaemun. I don't like watching shopping live broadcasts myself, after all, I have a lot of clothes from shopping at various clothing stores all day, but after starting to accompany work on the ground, suddenly I love watching other people's live broadcasts, and can secretly study where the wholesaler of their live broadcast is, or the style of the clothes.
7. Do you have any dreams you want to achieve in the future?
Although I was not interested in Korean culture before marrying a Korean, after living in Korea for a while, when I saw the beautiful maple forests and the fallen ginkgo leaves in autumn, when holding a hot latte with beautiful latte art in winter, and when I understood Korean and saw many poetic phrases that lose their beauty when translated into other languages, I deeply felt that Korea is indeed a fascinating country. After getting a job as a tour guide, I want to share fun things about Korea with more people through itineraries, passing on these small, lovely moments to everyone, and if I can make some good friends through it, that would be even better!
8. Words for guests to schedule future appointments.
I hope that after making a reservation, everyone will experience not just a simple shopping guide, but a feeling that you have a personal guide who can take you shopping and play here! Book your trip through Creatrip now and let's go shopping together!
