Seoul: Dongdaemun underground at night

Dongdaemun is an absolute hub of business for Seoul, with immense buildings and alleys packed to the brim with an incredible array of goods- from an eye-melting mass of ribbon edging spooled onto massive holders pouring from one storefront to finished dresses with quaint details and quirky English phrases pressed into the fabric at another. There's something for everyone, and while much of the market is active into the late hours of the day, many of the smaller shops will shutter as their owners head home for the night. This can lead to a disorienting change in the volume of traffic as you turn from one street onto another, going from the well-lit crowded corners of Dongdaemun Culture and History park to the lesser-trafficked alleys. This is going to be true of most cities, of course- not every street in Vegas is going to be a non-stop flurry of activity, after all. As someone who walked about the city fairly frequently, though, I was surprised by the quiet, shabbier corners I found. There are less-well-to-do areas in Jogno that I'd passed through before, but this was distinctly more industrial in feel. 

This post will focus on the underground corridors I wandered this evening. I liked to explore a little after work when I was off early enough to be able to take a bit of time for it, and this was one such evening. Rather than walk the familiar route towards Gwangjang market area, I went the opposite direction and found myself in this expansive underground shopping complex after it's prime hours of operation. Being such a populated area, there were precautions in place for the potential of attack, given that Seoul is really quite close to the North Korean border and the terrifying attacks of cults in crowded areas like these in the past...I've noticed these little preparedness centers in the past, and they still leave me with a sense of disquieting surrealness. It doesn't feel real, more like stepping into a Fallout game, but this is life in the modern world, where terror attacks happen. Better to be prepared than not, I suppose, though I don't like the shadow cast on the collective consciousness by having these objects hovering in the peripheral.  

Onward and outward!

Until next time~

💖

XOXO,

NAU