Seoul's Underground Shopping Malls: Which to Visit, Hours and Closed Days

Start with Goto Mall, under Express Bus Terminal Station (Lines 3, 7 and 9) in Seocho: about 620 shops, mostly clothing, open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. If you are staying downtown, the Myeongdong, Sogong, Hoehyeon and Namdaemun centers are closer; in Gangnam, use Gangnam Station’s.

Seoul Facilities Corporation, a city agency, runs 25 centers with 2,788 shops. Most open at 9 or 10 a.m. and close at 10 p.m.; many also close on set Sundays, Mondays or Tuesdays, and the table below lists each one.

Which Seoul underground malls are worth a visit?

Our pick is Goto Mall for size, Gangnam Station for clothing, shoes and cosmetics, and the Myeongdong group for convenience. Pick by what you want:

• Biggest choice of clothes: Goto Mall (Express Bus Terminal)
• Staying in Gangnam: Gangnam Station
• Staying downtown: Myeongdong, Sogong, Hoehyeon, Namdaemun
• Hanbok, silk and bedding: Jongo, Dongdaemun
• After midnight: Cheonggye 6-ga (until 5 a.m.)
• A covered walk toward Dongdaemun: Euljiro

Which underground malls close on which days?

On a Sunday, go to Goto Mall, Gangnam Station, Myeongdong, Myeongdong Station, Dongdaemun, Cheonggye 6-ga, Jamsil Station or the Yeongdeungpo centers; none of them has a Sunday closing day. Euljiro, City Hall Plaza, Euljiro Entrance, Jongno 4-ga, Cheonggye 5-ga and Majeon Bridge close every Sunday, and Sogong, Hoehyeon, Namdaemun, Sindang, Jonggak and Jongo close on set Sundays.

Below are each center’s hours and closing days. “1st Sunday” means the first Sunday of the month. The Korean name is what to search for in Naver Map.

The two remaining centers are shut: Inhyeon (20 shops) is temporarily closed while a public space is built at Sewoon Sangga, and Cheongnyangni (6 shops) is under construction for the Cheongnyangni District 4 redevelopment. “National days” are Korea’s statutory national days, such as Liberation Day on August 15, not every public holiday. Chuseok fell on September 25 in 2026, so the next holiday closures come at Seollal in early 2027.

The hours are for the shops. Many of the walkways stay open longer, some 24 hours, so you can still walk through a center after the shutters come down. VisitKorea’s Gangnam Station page notes that hours may vary by store; we suggest assuming the same at every center and not counting on every shop being open right at the posted time.

Where official pages disagree. For Gangnam Station, Myeongdong Station, City Hall Plaza, Euljiro Entrance and Yeongdeungpo Market, the corporation’s center pages, its FAQ and Visit Seoul give different opening or closing times; the table shows only the hours they all cover. The hours FAQ lists Cheonggye 6-ga as always open; its page says 9 a.m. to 5 a.m. For Goto Mall, VisitKorea names the day of Seollal and the day of Chuseok as the only closures and Visit Seoul names Seollal and Chuseok, while the corporation says only “some holiday days”. The same vague wording covers Gangnam Station, both Myeongdong centers and the two Yeongdeungpo Station-area centers, so avoid the Seollal and Chuseok days themselves.

How do you get to Goto Mall, and what does it sell?

Goto Mall is inside Express Bus Terminal Station (Lines 3, 7 and 9) and connects to the bus terminal, so you never go up to the street; Exit 8-1 is the usual reference point. It is the largest of the 25 centers: 620 shops over 31,566 m², about 440 of them (roughly 70 percent) selling clothing and shoes, plus flowers, household and interior goods, cosmetics, accessories, crafts and places to eat. The passage is open 24 hours. Search 고투몰 in Naver Map; the corporation’s own list calls it 터미널 and VisitKorea calls it Gangnam Terminal Underground Shopping Center.

What is at Gangnam Station’s underground mall?

The Gangnam Station center has 212 shops selling mainly clothing and cosmetics, plus shoes, bags and sunglasses, and connects directly to Gangnam Station on Line 2, so you can walk in without going up to the street. Exit 8 of Gangnam Station (Line 2 and the Shinbundang Line) is the usual reference point. There is a rest area called Herb Plaza. For brand stores rather than stalls, see our Gentle Monster and Musinsa guide.

Which underground malls are near Myeongdong, City Hall and Namdaemun?

Four centers sit between Myeongdong, City Hall and Namdaemun Market, each reached from nearby subway exits:

• Myeongdong (61 shops): runs from Lotte Department Store’s main store to the Myeongdong main street and connects to the Sogong center, Lotte Young Plaza and Avenuel. Use Exit 7 of Euljiro 1-ga Station (을지로입구역) on Line 2; Exits 12 to 15 stay open 24 hours. It mainly sells eyewear and clothing, with nail and cosmetics shops too.
• Sogong (150 shops): connects City Hall with Myeongdong. Use City Hall Station Exit 6 (Lines 1 and 2). It sells local specialties, pottery and traditional crafts, mainly to foreign tourists.
• Hoehyeon (225 shops): between Myeongdong and Namdaemun Market, connected to Shinsegae Department Store. Use Exit 1 or 7 of Hoehyeon Station on Line 4, or Exit 5 of Myeongdong Station, which leads to the center’s entrance 4 by escalator. It sells records and clothing.
• Namdaemun (99 shops): under Namdaemun-ro, behind Shinsegae and the Namdaemun market buildings, and reachable from in front of Sungnyemun. Use City Hall Station Exit 7 (Line 1) or Exit 8 (Line 2), or Hoehyeon Station Exit 5. It sells crafts and eyewear.

The separate Myeongdong Station center (70 shops) connects to Myeongdong Station on Line 4 through Exits 4, 5 and 6. It mostly sells women’s clothing, bags and accessories.

Combine Hoehyeon or Namdaemun with the market on a weekday or a Saturday morning: Namdaemun Market closes on Sundays (see our Namdaemun Market guide), and Sogong and Hoehyeon also shut on the 1st and 3rd Sundays.

Can you walk underground from City Hall to Myeongdong and Dongdaemun?

Mostly, yes, in four stretches:

1. City Hall Station Exit 6 → Sogong center → Myeongdong center, which runs to Myeongdong’s main street by Lotte Department Store’s main store.
2. Myeongdong center → Euljiro 1-ga Station (no official page shows a direct link to the Euljiro center, so go through the station).
3. Euljiro 1-ga Station → Euljiro center → Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station.
4. Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station Exit 14 → Cheonggye 6-ga center → the basement of the Migliore building, with a direct link to the Dongdaemun Stadium side opposite.

Walkways keep longer hours than shops: Sogong’s passage is open 4:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., Myeongdong’s 24 hours, Euljiro’s 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. on weekdays and 5 a.m. to midnight at weekends and on holidays, and Cheonggye 6-ga’s 24 hours.

What is the Euljiro underground mall like?

The Euljiro center is a 216-shop tunnel that starts between Euljiro 1-ga and Euljiro 3-ga Stations and runs to Dongdaemun History & Culture Park; use it as a covered route between downtown and Dongdaemun rather than as a shopping destination. Its ways in are Euljiro 1-ga, Euljiro 3-ga, Euljiro 4-ga and Dongdaemun History & Culture Park stations. It mainly sells sundries, clothing and sportswear, and has long been home to printing, advertising and promotional-goods shops. In November 2025 the corporation opened the Eulji Media Art Lounge at Euljiro 4-ga Station: 103 m² with a large LED screen, an interactive media wall and seating.

Where can you buy hanbok fabric or shop late near Dongdaemun?

Go to Jongo or Dongdaemun for hanbok and silk, and Cheonggye 6-ga for late-night clothing:

• Jongo: off Exits 1 and 8 of Jongno 5-ga Station on Line 1, near Gwangjang Market. It specializes in silks, hanbok, bedding and other traditional wedding goods.
• Dongdaemun: about 30 m toward Exits 7 and 8 of Dongdaemun Station (Lines 1 and 4). It sells hanbok, bedding and curtains.
• Cheonggye 6-ga: off Exit 8 of Dongdaemun Station or Exit 14 of Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station. It sells current fashion until 5 a.m. and connects to the basement of the Migliore building; see our Dongdaemun night shopping guide for Migliore’s and Doota’s hours.

Which underground malls are in Jamsil and Yeongdeungpo?

Jamsil has two centers and Yeongdeungpo three. The Jamsil Station center (139 shops) mostly sells inexpensive clothing, with phone shops too, near Lotte Department Store and Lotte World. The smaller Jamsil Underground Plaza (15 shops) links Jamsil Station on Line 2 with the bus transfer center and has food, cosmetics and clothing shops.

In Yeongdeungpo:

• Yeongdeungpo Station is reached through the Line 1 and railway station passage. It is known for its many phone shops.
• Yeongdeungpo Rotary is at Exit 3 of Yeongdeungpo Station, near the Shinsegae and Lotte department stores. It sells clothing and sundries.
• Yeongdeungpo Market is at Exit 3 of Yeongdeungpo Market Station on Line 5. It specializes in party and evening wear, stage costumes and made-to-measure suits.

What do the smaller downtown underground malls sell?

Mostly office supplies, everyday clothing, jewelry and wholesale craft goods, so visit them only if you want what they specialize in:

• City Hall Plaza: reached from inside City Hall Station (Lines 1 and 2): from the Line 1 middle gate, walk toward the Line 2 platforms and the Euljiro underground walkway. It links to the Sogong and Euljiro Entrance centers and sells office equipment, clothing, sundries, food and drink.
• Euljiro Entrance (을지입구): Euljiro 1-ga Station is called 을지로입구 (“Euljiro Entrance”) in Korean, but this center is a separate place, about 50 m toward Euljiro 2-ga from the Seongsu-bound end of the station on Line 2. It sells office equipment and clothing.
• Jonggak (81 shops): beside the Seoul YMCA, off Exits 9 to 12 of Jonggak Station on Line 1. It sells clothing and sundries.
• Sindang (98 shops): inside Sindang’s Jungang Market, about 150 m toward the market from Exits 1 and 2 of Sindang Station on Line 2. It has raw-fish restaurants, clothing shops and the Sindang Creative Arcade of craft workshops.
• Jongno 4-ga: next to Baeogae Bridge over the Cheonggyecheon, at the Gwangjang Market entrance. It sells jewelry, hanbok and accessories, and does hanbok alterations.
• Cheonggye 5-ga: next to Bangsan Market. It sells wholesale dolls, yarn and artificial flowers.
• Majeon Bridge: toward Exits 6 and 7 of Jongno 5-ga Station on Line 1, by the Gwangjang Market entrance. It sells embroidery supplies, knitting yarn, artificial flowers and shoes.

Can you get a tax refund and pay by card?

Only at shops registered for it: look for the “Tax Refund Shop” sign before you pay and have your passport ready. The minimum spend and how to claim are in our tax refund guide. VisitKorea lists the TONYMOLY shop in the Gangnam Station center as one, and Daiso’s Express Bus Terminal store, in the same terminal as Goto Mall, has a refund kiosk (Daiso guide).

VisitKorea marks Gangnam Station as accepting cards. The corporation’s pages say nothing about payment for the other centers. We suggest carrying a card plus some cash in won for the smaller stalls. Most centers connect to subway stations, so a T-money card is the easiest way to hop between them.

Steve OH edits Seoulpin. Steve runs Standardpin, a Seoul-based web studio that also builds websites for clinics; that work has no effect on whether or how any clinic appears here. Articles are drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed and reviewed by Steve before publishing. How we work