Dongdaemun Activities: Pen Decorating, Accessory Shopping, and Cheonggyecheon Shoe Market

Dongdaemun is currently drawing visitors with a variety of shopping and hands-on activities. The Dongdaemun Comprehensive Market is popular for personalized experiences like pen decorating (bolkku) and keyring making. Large accessory and fashion stores such as Newnu and Mimiline are also highlighted as prime destinations for affordable shopping.

The 5th floor accessory section of Dongdaemun Comprehensive Market offers bolkku, keyring, and keycap making. Specifically, the 'Piggy' store allows customers to decorate pens with 3-4 charms for 3,500 KRW. 'Clio' features animated character keyrings, while 'Punjabi' sells unique handmade bracelets. Newnu provides a wide range of fashion items including earrings, necklaces, rings, hairpins, doll keyrings, glasses, socks, and bags. The Dongdaemun Shoe Wholesale Market, established in 1968 next to Cheonggyecheon Stream, is a historic site active in both wholesale and retail.

Bloggers describe the Dongdaemun Comprehensive Market as a 'paradise of sights and activities, a complete ant-hell,' noting that it is easy to spend 3-4 hours exploring. Newnu and Mimiline are recommended as part of a Dongdaemun itinerary that includes DDP, with Newnu offering socks starting from 800 KRW, making shopping affordable. The Cheonggyecheon Shoe Wholesale Market is praised for its accessibility via public transport and the opportunity to find uniquely designed shoes.