It's eleven at night, in front of Dongdaemun. People are walking busily with huge plastic bundles slung over their shoulders. The shop lights are bright and the street is crowded. A foreign friend asked me. "What time is it now, and the market is still open?" ## There are clothes inside the bundles Those bundles are clothes bought wholesale. Most of the people who come at night are clothing store owners. They buy clothes in bulk to sell in their own stores. This is a market where store owners who buy in large quantities matter more than customers who buy one piece at a time. ## Why at Night, of All Times? Store owners have to open their own shops in the morning. So they come the night before, pick out clothes, and take them to their shops overnight. Some come up from the provinces by bus, buy at dawn, and head back before daybreak. The people who make the clothes also move to this schedule. There are many small clothing factories near Dongdaemun. If they know which clothes sell well, they can make them right away and bring them in. That's why this market wakes up when the sun goes down and is busiest at dawn. ## Things to know before you go - Business hours and days off differ from building to building. Before you go, search for the building's name in a map app or check the building's official information. - Some shops also sell retail, while others sell wholesale only. Before you buy, ask whether you can buy just one piece. - If someone carrying a bundle walks by, please step aside and make way. For them, it's working time. At night, Dongdaemun is a workplace before it's a sight to see. Once you know that, the market looks different as you walk through it.