To deck your halls, visit Namdaemun market
Christmas shops in Namdaemun market in central Seoul offer a variety of trees and ornaments. [YONHAP]
Seoul doesn’t have the bustling Christmas-focused markets held in large public squares in European cities like Frankfurt, Germany and Prague of the Czech Republic.
But have no fear: Namdaemun market in central Seoul has a handful of shops selling everything from plastic trees adorned with ribbons and lights to wire reindeer creations you can put outside.
While you’re there, you can pick up some gifts for family and friends, too, as it’s a popular destination for Christmas shopping in general because there’s a huge variety of goods.
Most of the shops with Christmas decorations and trees here are regular stores selling other types of goods that shift gears ahead of the holidays. They typically revert back to selling their original products after Christmas Day.
If you’re in the market for a tree, the stores here sell ones ranging from just 50 centimeters (1.6 feet) tall to as high as 2.4 meters (7.8 feet). They are all made of plastic but still do the job when it comes to creating a Christmas atmosphere. You can also find life-size, electronic versions of Santa Claus and other popular holiday characters.
This year, customers might be able to score some good deals, as store owners could be more willing to negotiate given the economic situation, which has sapped some of their business.
“Our sales have dropped nearly 20 percent from a year ago so far,” said Park Yong-seok, who works at Daewon Tree, which has been selling Christmas goods for the last 10 years.
The shop sells smaller trees that are about a meter tall for 13,000 won, while a tree that’s more than two meters high will set you back as much as 130,000 won. Wreaths costs about 45,000 won, and lights range from 5,000 won to 14,000 won depending on the type and number of bulbs. A set of six Christmas balls costs between 2,000 won 15,000 won depending on the patterns and colors. All told, expect to shell out at least 20,000 won for the tiniest of trees and related decorations.
If you are too busy - or lazy - to decorate yourself, you can also buy those that already have ornaments and lights on them. Hyundai Tree Chongpan, for instance, sells a 50-centimeter-high tree with Christmas balls for 25,000 won. A 1.5-meter tree with ornaments is priced at well over 100,000 won.
Choi Gwi-jin, the owner of the store, which has been selling Christmas goods for the last 20 years, said most people already have plastic trees and decorations from previous years and are in the market for new things like light-emitting diode (LED) lights, which are brighter than the typical ones.
By Limb Jae-un [jbiz91@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)