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Public Toilets in Dongdaemun: DDP and Dongdaemun Stations, Gwangjang Market Side

The area is served by Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station (Lines 2, 4 and 5) and Dongdaemun Station (Lines 1 and 4). Seoul Metro's station-toilet data confirms each line's toilet location, which side of the fare gates it is on, and its hours (05:00–24:00 everywhere). The ones outside the gates, usable without riding, are Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Line 4 (basement level 1) and Line 5, and Dongdaemun Line 1; Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Line 2 and Dongdaemun Line 4 are inside the gates. Toilet locations inside DDP and the malls could not be confirmed from official sources, so only confirmed locations and hours are listed.

Last checked: 2026-10-07·Desk-researched — not yet verified on site

Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station, Line 2 — inside the gates, by Exit 1

Per Seoul Metro's data it is in front of the station office on the basement-level-1 concourse, inside the fare gates, nearest Exit 1 on the DDP side. Open 05:00–24:00, with 6 toilets and 8 urinals for men and 20 stalls for women. Because it is inside the gates, you can use it only if you ride the subway. Kakao Map lists it as the Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station open restroom (underground 279 Eulji-ro).

Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station, Line 4 — outside the gates on B1, inside on B2

Seoul Metro's data lists two toilets. The one in front of pillars 10 and 11 on basement level 1 is outside the fare gates, so you can use it without riding; the one beside the inner stairs on basement level 2 is inside the gates. Both are nearest Exit 8 and open 05:00–24:00. Kakao Map lists them as the "DDP Station" B1 and B2 open restrooms (underground 230 Jangchungdan-ro); despite the name, they are station toilets, not inside the DDP building.

Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station, Line 5 — outside the gates, by Exit 7

Per Seoul Metro's data it is on basement level 1, outside the fare gates, nearest Exit 7, and open 05:00–24:00, so you can use it without riding. Kakao Map also lists it as an open restroom (underground 162 Mareunnae-ro), but that listing dates from 2020, so follow the station signs to find it.

Dongdaemun Station, Line 1 — outside the gates, by Exit 4

Per Seoul Metro's data it is near Exit 4 on basement level 1, outside the fare gates, and Daum's station information agrees. Open 05:00–24:00, with 4 toilets and 6 urinals for men and 12 stalls for women. This is the toilet you can use without riding on the Heunginjimun side. Kakao Map lists it as the Dongdaemun Station open restroom (299 Jong-ro).

Dongdaemun Station, Line 4 — inside the gates, basement level 2

Per Seoul Metro's data it is on basement level 2, inside the fare gates, nearest Exit 9, and Daum's station information agrees. Open 05:00–24:00. Use it if you are riding Line 4; if not, use the Line 1 toilet at the same station, which is outside the gates. Kakao Map lists it as the Dongdaemun Station open restroom (underground 308 Yulgok-ro).

DDP, the malls and nearby open restrooms — hours unconfirmed

DDP is open 10:00–20:00 (closed on 1 January and on the day of Seollal and of Chuseok), but the official guide does not show where its toilets are; it is safest to assume you can use them only while the building is open. Doota Mall's official amenities list has no toilet entry either. On the Dongdaemun Station side, Kakao Map lists open restrooms in Dongdaemun Market buildings A–D and the annex, the Cheonggye 6-ga underground arcade and the JW Marriott hotel, but their hours are unconfirmed; assume the market buildings are usable only during trading hours.

Gwangjang Market side — Jongno 5-ga and Euljiro 4-ga stations, outside the gates

Near Gwangjang Market, Jongno 5-ga Station's Line 1 toilet is on basement level 1 in front of the passage to the underground arcade, by Exit 8, outside the fare gates. At Euljiro 4-ga Station, both the Line 2 toilet (basement level 1, beside Exits 1 and 2) and the Line 5 toilet are outside the gates. All are open 05:00–24:00 (Seoul Metro data). Inside the market, Kakao Map lists an open restroom at the Gwangjang Market customer support center (21 Jong-ro 32-gil), but its hours are unconfirmed.

Subway stations — exit and re-enter within 15 minutes for free

Seoul's free re-entry started at 10 minutes in July 2023 and was extended to 15 minutes that October, so if you exit for the toilet and tap back in at the same station within 15 minutes you are not charged a new base fare; the re-entry is processed as one transfer. On Line 1 it covers Seoul Station to Cheongnyangni, which includes Dongdaemun, and Dongdaemun History & Culture Park (Lines 2, 4 and 5) and Dongdaemun Line 4 are covered too.

Tips

  • The Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Line 2 and Dongdaemun Line 4 toilets are inside the gates, so you can only use them if you ride. All the Seoul Metro station toilets here are open 05:00–24:00, and none of the Dongdaemun restrooms checked could be confirmed as open 24 hours. If you plan to shop late at night, use a station toilet while the trains are still running.
  • Korea began removing bins from public toilets in January 2018, so used paper goes down the toilet.
  • Korean public toilets usually have paper, but in some it sits in a large dispenser outside the stalls rather than inside — take what you need before you go in. Keep pocket tissues in your bag in case it has run out.

Dongdaemun · Places

Daehwajeong Jinjja Haejangguk

대화정 진짜해장국

A hangover-soup (haejangguk) restaurant on the ground floor of 249-20 Jangchungdan-ro, 165m from Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station Exit 14. It opens at 05:00 every day, so it works for an early breakfast on the Dongdaemun side. The house haejangguk is ₩12,000, or ₩17,000 for the large; pork belly is served only after 17:00. 2026 blogs say it got busy after a TV appearance, with queues at lunch and on weekends, and that quite a few customers are foreign.

Not confirmed

Dongdaemun Bonga Gamasot Seolleongtang

동대문본가가마솥설렁탕

An ox-bone soup (seolleongtang) restaurant at 299-1 Jong-ro, 48 m from Dongdaemun Station Exit 1, open 24 hours every day of the year, so it works before dawn or early in the morning. Seolleongtang is ₩12,000, the large ₩15,000, and blood-curd hangover soup ₩9,000. Its Kakao Map rating is on the low side at 2.4 (27 reviews). Kakao Map and Naver both list it as open 00:00–24:00 every day, and two 2026 blogs say the same.

Not confirmed

Isaac Toast Seoul Migliore

이삭토스트 서울밀리오레점

An Isaac Toast (toast-sandwich chain) on the ground floor of 43 Jangchungdan-ro 13-gil, 395m from Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station Exit 14. Blogs place it right in front of Hyundai City Outlet, next to the entrance to the National Medical Center. Open 08:00–19:30 daily with a break 15:00–16:00. Ham and cheese toast is ₩3,100 and Bacon Best ₩3,900 (Naver menu). An October 2026 blog says foreign visitors queue for the opening every morning. The shop is small, so plan on takeaway.

Not confirmed

Monyeo Gimbap

모녀김밥

A mayak gimbap stall (mini rice rolls with a mustard dipping sauce) inside Gwangjang Market at 403-23 Dongho-ro, 102m from Jongno 5-ga Station Exit 7. It opens at 09:00 every day and closes at 21:00, which makes it one of the earlier options for a market breakfast; it closes early when it runs out. Mayak gimbap is ₩4,000 and a mung-bean pancake (bindaetteok) ₩6,000 (Naver menu). From Dongdaemun Station it is about 0.9km, a 10–15 minute walk.

Not confirmed
Sources