Myeongdong Station Exits: Which Exit for the Shopping Street, Cathedral and Namsan
Myeongdong Station (Line 4) has ten exits, and its concourse is not one hall but two, one above each end of the platform. Exits 1, 9 and 10 sit on one side and Exits 2–8 on the other, so pick your exit number before you head up. Here is the right exit for each destination.
Last checked: 2026-10-06·Desk-researched — not yet verified on site
Exit 6 — the main shopping street
Effectively Myeongdong's front door. It lets you out right at Myeongdong 8-gil, the main shopping street, and is the fastest way into the strip of shops and street-food stalls. On a first visit with no particular shop in mind, this is the exit.
Exit 8 — Olive Young flagship and Myeongdong Cathedral
Olive Young's Myeongdong Town flagship gives Exit 8 as its subway exit. Myeongdong Cathedral is about 590m from the same exit by Visit Seoul's count, uphill through the shopping street. Exits 9 and 10 are actually a little closer on foot (about 450–500m to the front gate) and less crowded.
Exit 3 — Namsan cable car
For the Namsan cable car up to N Seoul Tower, leave by Exit 3 and walk uphill toward Namsan. It is the opposite side from the shopping street, so if you are coming from the shops, cross back past the station to the Exit 3 side.
Exit 1 — Daiso, and the elevator
Daiso's Myeongdong Station store is about a minute's walk from Exit 1. If you have a suitcase, remember this one: a street elevator (one 15-person car) and two escalators opened here in November 2015, and since April 2022 an elevator also runs between the concourse and the platform. These are the only two elevators in the station, so no other exit has one.
Exit 5 — toward Shinsegae and Namdaemun Market
Exit signs list Shinsegae's main store and Namdaemun Market under Exit 5, but if either is where you are going, get off one stop over at Hoehyeon instead. Shinsegae says Hoehyeon Exit 7 leads straight into its food hall.
Euljiro 1-ga Station (Line 2) — for the Lotte side
Lotte's main store puts itself 10–15 minutes on foot from Myeongdong Station. Euljiro 1-ga Station on Line 2 is the better stop: Exit 7 runs straight into the store's B1 floor, and with a stroller or suitcase you can take the Exit 5 elevator up and cross the street to the main entrance. Olive Young's flagship also lists Euljiro 1-ga Exit 5.
Tips
- Because the two concourses sit at opposite ends of the platform, Exits 1, 9 and 10 are up one set of stairs and Exits 2–8 up the other. Check the exit-number signs on the platform before you choose an end.
- Airport bus 6015 to Incheon Airport stops between Exits 8 and 9 (the Myeongdong Station / Sejong Hotel stop). The same route also stops near Euljiro 1-ga (Royal Hotel) and at Hoehyeon Station (Namdaemun Market).
- Exits 4, 5 and 6 connect to the Myeongdong Station underground arcade, whose passages stay open 24 hours — handy for switching exits underground on a rainy day.
Myeongdong · Places
Bumin-ok
부민옥A long-running yukgaejang (spicy beef soup) and yang-gomtang (beef tripe soup) restaurant, in business since 1956 (according to the official blog of Seoul Oraegage, Seoul city's long-standing shop program). Naver and DiningCode give 11:00–22:00 on weekdays and 11:30–21:00 on Saturday, with a break from 15:00 to 17:00, closed on Sundays. Per the Kakao Map menu, yukgaejang is ₩11,000, yang-gomtang ₩12,000, seonjiguk (blood curd soup) ₩9,000 and bibimbap ₩10,000. It is in Da-dong near Euljiro 1-ga and City Hall, outside central Myeongdong.
Daiso Myeongdong Station
다이소 명동역점A multi-floor Daiso at 134-1 Toegye-ro, near Myeongdong Station. It is a fixed-price household-goods chain, so souvenirs, beauty items, snacks and travel supplies are all in one building. The Korea Tourism Organization lists it as a tax refund shop.
Dakjinmi Gangwonjip
닭진미강원집A chicken-soup and boiled-chicken restaurant inside Namdaemun Market, at 22-20 Namdaemunsijang-gil. DiningCode lists it 08:00–20:30, closed Sundays. Dak-gomtang (chicken soup) is listed at 10,000 won, a meat set meal at 12,000 won and a whole chicken at 23,000 won. It is a hot-soup breakfast option in the market, Monday to Saturday.
Donghwa Sikdang
동화식당A grilled and braised fish restaurant in Namdaemun Market, open 07:00–21:00 daily and closed every other Sunday. The signature braised hairtail is ₩14,000 per person with a two-serving minimum, so solo diners should look at grilled mackerel (₩12,000) or a stew (₩9,000), though single servings of those were not explicitly confirmed. A queue forms after 11:00.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myeong-dong_station
- https://namu.wiki/w/%EB%AA%85%EB%8F%99%EC%97%AD
- https://travelgasm.com/seoul-south-korea/myeongdong-shopping-streets-namsan-seoul-tower-south-korea.html
- https://mileasia.com/korea/myeongdong-to-namsan-seoul-tower/
- https://myeongdongtown.oliveyoung.com/en/
- https://english.visitseoul.net/attractions/Myeongdong-Cathedral_/4036
- https://m.tripinfo.co.kr/info.html?content_type_id=38&content_id=2901518
- https://m.go.seoul.co.kr/news/2015/10/27/20151027500117
- https://biz.heraldcorp.com/article/3657744
- https://mediahub.seoul.go.kr/archives/2003672
- http://www.seoulmetro.co.kr/kr/page.do?menuIdx=366
- https://www.lotteshopping.com/store/main?cstrCd=0001
- https://www.shinsegae.com/store/main.do?storeCd=SC00001
- https://creatrip.com/en/news/5067
- https://sisul.or.kr/open_content/undershop/guide/myeongdong/myeongdong_station.jsp