Bursting with life and lights, Myeong-dong is Seoul's premier shopping district. It's one of the busiest places in South Korea, home to a mishmash of shopping malls, luxury brands, street stalls, and sizzling street food.

While Myeong-dong regularly features in the top ten of the world's most expensive shopping streets, the district is also packed with small market stalls selling inexpensive products. Cosmetic brands advertise their products in flashing lights and there are around a thousand cosmetic shops, along with hundreds of skincare stores. Lotte and Shinsegae are the largest shopping malls in the district.

The sheer abundance of locals and visitors makes Myeong-dong a fun place to explore at leisure, especially in the late afternoon and early evening when all the lights are turning on. Juxtaposed with the area's futuristic facade and flashing neon are historic Myeongdong Cathedral and the 600-year-old Namdaemun Market.

Access Myeong-dong via the subway station with the same name, on Subway Line 4 (the blue line), or Euljiro Station on Subway Line 2 (the circle line). There is very limited parking and most of the district is fully pedestrianised.

The conglomeration of flashing lights in Myeong-dong is fitting given the district's name. In the Korean language the name literally translates as bright cave or bright tunnel.