Overview
The area was the financial quarter under Japanese rule and became a fashion district after the war; the cosmetics shops arrived in the 2000s with the export boom, and the street signs in Chinese, Japanese and English record who the customers are. Myeongdong Cathedral, on the hill above, is the seat of Korean Catholicism and was a sanctuary for democracy protesters through the 1970s and 80s, when police would not enter it. The carts sell tteokbokki, egg bread and grilled cheese lobster tails, and appear from about four in the afternoon.
Highlights
Come for the evening: the carts are the point and the shops stay open until ten or eleven. Cosmetics prices are negotiable in the multi-brand shops, and free samples are pressed on anyone who slows down. Walk up to the cathedral for ten quiet minutes and the only view of the district from above.