Dongdaemun Gate and Dongdaemun's Markets, Seoul, Korea

 Dongdaemun is most known for its markets, with several buildings packed with store after store selling clothing, traditional goods, and souvenirs.

 A recently opened building adjacent to the station has a museum.

 The gate itself is nice, too - but neglected by tourists who are more focused on getting bargains! I couldn't get a good photo of it, but there is a bit of the original city wall near the gate.

 The clothing markets are certainly the biggest draw to the area, and shops are scattered among a few large buildings.

 The best thing to do is just pick a building and go in.

 You'll see plenty of the latest fashions for men and women, boys and girls. I didn't find anything that matched my style, so I didn't compare prices, but it looks like some clothing can be found in several different stores.

 In addition to clothing, you can buy shoes, luggage, souvenirs, and household goods.

 There are a couple souvenir stores in each market and a store or two selling hanbok, the traditional Korean costume. I also saw some stores selling Korean bedding.

 From shoes to kitchenware and plates, you can probably get all your shopping done here. I don't really understand why someone would pay $100-200 or more for a plane ticket to Korea just to buy cheap clothing, and other than the traditional Korean goods I didn't see anything that I couldn't buy in Japan or the US. I'll take the adventure of the flea markets myself. But for those living in Korea or visiting and looking to do some shopping as well, this is the place to be.

The best thing to do is get to Dongdaemun Station exit 8 or Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station exit 14, and go into a mall. Some of the buildings are a bit sparse, but the upper floors seemed to hold the most interesting goods, like the wrapped-for-delivery Korean bedding above.