Updated: August 2026
Namdaemun Market is one of Seoul’s best-known places for children’s clothing, but shopping there with a baby comes with a few things parents should know. I visited in mid-August to shop for my 20-month-old daughter. I decided to go after seeing fall arrivals on Instagram. Here’s what I learned, from practical tips to store-by-store experiences.
What Is Namdaemun Market, and Why Go There for Baby Clothes?
Namdaemun Market is one of Seoul’s oldest and largest traditional markets, and it’s also well known for children’s clothing. The children’s clothing area includes small shops and multi-story buildings selling everything from newborn and baby clothes to outfits for toddlers and older children. You’ll also find accessories such as hairpins, socks, and hats.
Many stores have a wholesale-market background, but individual shoppers are welcome at many shops. Prices can also be attractive compared with department stores or specialty children’s boutiques, although prices and purchasing policies vary by store.
If you’re visiting Seoul with a baby or toddler and want to experience a different side of Korean shopping culture, Namdaemun’s children’s clothing market is worth exploring.
How to Find Namdaemun Children’s Clothing Market
The children’s clothing shops are concentrated around Namdaemun Market near Hoehyeon Station, with several well-known children’s clothing buildings located close to one another. Burdeng Children’s Clothing is one of the established shopping complexes in the area, with stores carrying clothes for infants, toddlers, and children.
If you’re taking the subway specifically to the children’s clothing area, Hoehyeon Station on Line 4 is the closest stop. Exit 6 is the most convenient exit for the children’s clothing buildings.
If you’re coming from Myeongdong, however, you can easily walk to Namdaemun Market. I started at Myeongdong Station Exit 7, walked straight toward Namdaemun Market. It’s a straightforward route and takes about 10 minutes.
I stopped for lunch at Myeongdong Kyoja near Myeongdong Station before heading to the market.
🍜 If you get hungry while shopping, I recommend the restaurant I stopped at!
Myeongdong Kyoja: A Parent’s Guide to Seoul’s Famous Kalguksu →
Before You Go: Everything I Wish I’d Known
| What to Know | Details |
|---|---|
| Opening hours | Most shops don’t open before 10 AM and close by 5 PM. Some start closing as early as 4 PM. |
| Best day to go | Many shops are closed on Sundays. If you’re visiting on the weekend, Saturday is a good option. |
| Payment | Bring cash. Some shops, especially for sale items, may not accept cards. |
| Budget | I withdrew ₩200,000 in cash before my visit — partly for convenience and partly to keep myself from overspending. |
| What to bring | A big bag. I brought a large Longchamp tote, and it still wasn’t quite enough. |
| Signage | Market directory signs are mostly in Korean, so navigating the market can be a little confusing if you don’t read Korean. |
Is Namdaemun Market Stroller-Friendly? What Parents Should Know
Namdaemun can be challenging to navigate with a baby or toddler. The alleys between shops are narrow and crowded, and you’ll do quite a bit of walking between buildings.
For young children, a baby carrier can be much easier than a stroller. Older kids who can comfortably walk longer distances may also manage the market better.
The hardest stage can be the in-between: a walking toddler who gets tired easily but is too heavy to carry for long periods. That’s one reason I chose to shop while my daughter was at daycare.
My Shopping Route (and Why I Went Backwards)
CT i Building → Mama (and the building next to it) → WOONG EE → Paint Town →
My actual route
CT i Building (again) → home via Hoehyeon Station Exit 4.
Before heading out, I made a list of the shops I wanted to visit based on what I’d seen on Instagram. I deliberately visited them in reverse order, saving my favorites for last — otherwise, I knew I’d be tempted to spend everything at the first shop.
There isn’t one “correct” route through Namdaemun. I recommend bookmarking a few must-visit shops and exploring from there.
My reverse-shopping strategy mostly worked… until I reached my favorite shops and decided I’d “earned” the right to spend.
Store-by-Store Reviews (by Building)
1. CT i Building — Home of CON, and How Their Ticket System Works
CON is on the 2nd floor of the CT i building and is hard to miss because of the crowd.
Ticket tip:
Grab a numbered ticket as soon as you arrive, then come back and shop during your assigned time slot after browsing elsewhere.
When I arrived in the morning, I got a 2:30 PM entry slot, so I used the waiting time to visit other stores and have lunch. If you’re short on time, make CON your first stop and get your ticket before doing anything else.
The shop still felt fairly new, and the ticket process seemed a little disorganized. Popular items also sold out quickly: the black “Twinkle” flare pants and roll-up jeans I wanted were already gone, so I bought the blue version of the flare pants instead.
Luckily, the blue pair turned out to be just as cute as I’d hoped, and I also picked up some adorable socks. So this stop definitely wasn’t a loss.
Taking my picks to the counter for a quick stock check & size recommendation 🛍️
2. Mama & Burdeng the Building Next Door — Connected Inside
Mama’s shop sign is in English, but the shop connected to it inside isn’t marked in English at all — so if you’re looking for it, look for the building right next to Mama with a pink, light green, and blue sign. The two are connected internally, so you can walk between them without going back outside.
Inside, I checked out four shops — Melmel, Ruby, Aosta, and Donggeul Donggeul — but nothing quite caught my eye this time, so I left empty-handed here.
3. WOONG EE — JEJE
At the WOONG EE building, I stopped by JEJE 2nd floor.
This one was a genuine “should I or shouldn’t I” moment — the pieces are hand-embroidered in-house, and I seriously debated a vest with an elephant embroidered on it, along with a quilted jacket I kept circling back to. Because everything’s handmade, the prices run higher than most of the market, and in the end, budget won out and I walked away without buying anything. I’m already planning to go back and pick up at least one piece next time.
4. Paint Town — Where I Bought the Most
Paint Town was the highlight of my shopping trip, with several children’s clothing shops across the building.
ROSETTE (1st floor) — It had a lot of clean, polished pieces that would be perfect for family gatherings.
Hing (1st floor) — my favorite of the day and the store where I bought the most
Pepper (3rd floor) — The bright, colorful clothes look so adorable
GO.U (3rd floor) — more focused on boys’ clothing, but worth checking out for gender-neutral styles for girls. If I had a son, I’d probably have spent the most here.
I ended up buying the most from Hing, which had the biggest selection of styles that caught my eye.
A Small Extra Find
Between shops, I spotted a small hair accessory stall and picked up a few hairpins and hair ties. Namdaemun is fun to browse even between the bigger clothing stores.
What I Came Home With
I came home with baby clothes, hairpins, hair ties, and socks from several different stores.
Quick Recap: Namdaemun Market with a Baby
- Go on a Saturday if you’re visiting on the weekend
- Bring cash
- Bring a big bag
- For a walking toddler who tires easily, consider shopping without them
- If you do bring your baby, a carrier is much easier than a stroller
- Going to CON? Grab your ticket first thing
- Bookmark a few must-visit shops rather than planning a perfect route
Namdaemun Market isn’t the easiest place to shop with a baby, but the variety and prices of children’s clothes make it worth a visit. Hopefully, my experience helps you plan your own shopping trip a little more easily.
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