Antique Markets : Elegant Beauty of Analog

Shopping

Korea is a country that boasts 5,000 years of history. It has produced countless artists and master craftsmen and various artistic styles in each of its main eras. The majority of the antiques classified as treasures are owned by personal collectors or on display in museums. Also, an astronomical number of antiques and artifacts were taken out of the country during frequent foreign invasions.

The antique furniture street in Itaewon is well-known to foreigners as well as to Koreans. It features unique accessories and furniture from Europe, Japan, China and Southeast Asia, as well antique Korean furniture of various price ranges.

Exit 4, Itaewon Station, Subway Line 8 / Exit 3, Noksapyeong Station, Subway Line 6

Gwangmyeongdang: 82-2-797-8637 / Kim’s Antique Gallery: 82-2-796-8841
Hanguk Minsok: 82-2-790-6641 / Morning Calm: 82-2-790-2420

The antique street in Janganpyeong is home to stores that sell traditional-style everyday goods at affordable prices rather than expensive artworks. Among the many shops, the “Janganpyeong Antique Market” favored by foreigners, in particular, displays and sells various needlework accessories such as thimbles and the small silver knives women in ancient Korea used to carry for protection. Additionally, accessories that were carried mostly by the literati of the past, such as eye glasses, small charms attached to fans and identity tags (“hopae” in Korean) can be found here amongst countless other treasures.

Exit 2, Dapsimni Station, Subway Line 5

Gwangmyeongdang: 82-2-797-8637

The antique shops in Insa-dong is clustered mostly in the alley stretched from Sudo Pharmacy to Unhyeongung(Palace), in particular, is lined with galleries and antique shops. Godosa displays antique furniture, household goods, ceramics, folk paintings, and the like and provides guided tours as well. Dongyeheon holds antique exhibitions on a regular basis, offering visitors an opportunity to better understand Korean antiques for free.

Anguk Station, Subway Line 3

Godosa: 82-2-735-5815 / Dongyeheon: 82-2-730-5550

Dapsimni is famous for its 20-year-old antique market. Located near Dapsimni Station on Subway Line 5, the market consists of three buildings numbered 2, 5, and 6, respectively, like the Samhui Apartment market buildings nearby. The three buildings are crammed with some 150 stores that display over 300,000 items in various price ranges from 1,000 won to 50 million won. The market is indeed a gigantic treasure house where one can get a glimpse of Korean culture and life in the past.

Exit 2, Dapsimni Station, Subway Line 5

82-2-2246-9122

10:00~19:00 (closed Sunday)

Samcheong-dong is where Korean tradition melds with the modern world. A variety of pretty cafes, galleries, museums, antique shops, and offbeat stores are hidden in the numerous alleys here. Some of the oldest antique shops in Samcheong-dong moved from Insa-dong and Dapsimni and settled here in the mid-1990s. Their collections are not extensive, but they nevertheless add charm to Samcheong-dong.

Exit 2, Dapsimni Station, Subway Line 5

Yenar: 82-2-739-4200 / Gomisul Migamyegam: 82-2-737-9757