An Underground Arcade with 133 Shops Starting at Exit 3 of Yeongdeungpo Station

Actual location at 20, Yeongjung-ro, different from the “Times Square” address

The entered address, “15 Yeongjung-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, Times Square,” refers to a large nearby mixed-use complex, while the official name of this place is Yeongdeungpo Rotary Underground Shopping Center, and its official road-name address is 20, Yeongjung-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. The Seoul Facilities Corporation describes it as an underground shopping arcade connected to Yeongdeungpo Station, with an area of 6,325㎡ and 133 shops.

Therefore, rather than setting Times Square as your destination on the map and immediately looking for the underground arcade, it is less confusing to follow the underground exits toward Yeongdeungpo Station on Line 1 and the signs for “Yeongdeungpo Rotary.” The official guide lists clothing and miscellaneous goods as the main categories, and the management operator is Yeongdeungpo Rotary Underground Shopping Center Co., Ltd.

Time differences between Exit 3 and Exits 1 and 5 at Yeongdeungpo Station on Line 1

The simplest public transportation access point is Exit 3 of Yeongdeungpo Station on Subway Line 1. The Seoul Facilities Corporation lists Exit 3 at Yeongdeungpo Station as the official access route. Buses arriving at the Shinsegae Department Store stop can also be used, including Branch Bus 5616, 5625, 5714, 6628, 6629, 6630, 6631, 6637, 6640, and 6654, as well as Trunk Bus 462, 605, 661, 670, and 760.

Be sure to distinguish the opening hours by exit. The passageways for Exits 2, 3, and 4 are open 24 hours, while the passageways for Exits 1 and 5 are open only from 05:00 to 23:30. The passageway access period and shopping hours differ even after the shops close, so when traveling late, it is safer to plan your route around Exits 2, 3, and 4.

• Express-area bus: No. 9408
• Neighborhood buses: Yeongdeungpo 03 and Yeongdeungpo 04
• Gyeonggi regular buses: Nos. 2, 60, 60-1, 60-3, 69, and 88

Shopping hours for 133 shops, open daily from 10:00 to 22:00

The official opening hours of the Yeongdeungpo Rotary Underground Shopping Center are 10:00–22:00 every day, and it is open year-round. Admission is free, and no separate reservation is required. However, the “passageway opening hours” of the underground arcade do not match the business hours of every individual shop, so if you intend to make purchases, it is better to avoid visiting before 10:00 or after 22:00.

This is an arcade made up of individual shops connected together, rather than a department store with a uniform brand lineup. Allow around 30–60 minutes to compare clothing or miscellaneous goods. If you are looking for a particular item, it is efficient to first check prices, sizes, and exchange conditions at several shops. For official arcade inquiries, contact the Operations Team of the Seoul Facilities Corporation’s Shopping Arcade Operations Department at 02-2290-6903 or 02-2290-7272.

Underground pedestrian shopping districts created by Yeongdeungpo’s industrialization in the 1970s

Yeongdeungpo’s underground arcades did not emerge simply as shopping facilities. The Seoul Metropolitan Government explains that underground shopping arcades in the city center were developed from the late 1970s through the 1980s to ease traffic congestion and provide air-raid shelter space in emergencies. The Yeongdeungpo Market Underground Arcade opened in 1977, and the underground shopping areas around Yeongdeungpo likewise became urban infrastructure during this period, absorbing pedestrian traffic between the railway station, rotary, and market.

The Gyeongbu Railway and industrial zones formed the backdrop that enabled Yeongdeungpo to develop these commercial districts. According to Seoul Metropolitan Government materials, factories increased along the Gyeongbu Railway in the 1960s and 1970s, drawing population and commercial demand. Yeongdeungpo grew into one of the centers of Seoul’s industrialization. Even today, the close overlap of Yeongdeungpo Station, department stores, traditional markets, and the rotary underground arcade reflects the transportation and commercial centrality formed at that time.

Dancewear culture at the Yeongdeungpo Market Underground Arcade and differences from the rotary arcade

The term “Yeongdeungpo underground arcade” can easily be used to refer to different underground shopping arcades interchangeably. The Yeongdeungpo Rotary Underground Shopping Center is an arcade with 133 shops at 20, Yeongjung-ro, while the Yeongdeungpo Market Underground Arcade is located at 221, Yeongdeungpo-ro. In Seoul’s traditional market directory, the Yeongdeungpo Market Underground Arcade is separately registered as 1,599㎡, and the Yeongdeungpo Rotary Underground Arcade as 6,161㎡.

The area particularly known for dance-sports clothing, dance shoes, and custom-made products is the Yeongdeungpo Market Underground Arcade. According to an introduction published by Seoul in 2017, this arcade developed its dance-sports clothing sector from the mid-2000s, and at the time about 70% of all shops handled related clothing and shoes. If you are looking for dancewear, check the address again before setting out to confirm whether you are going to the “Yeongdeungpo Market Underground Arcade” or the “Yeongdeungpo Rotary Underground Shopping Center.”

Check with each shop first to confirm whether it accepts Onnuri Gift Certificates

The Yeongdeungpo Rotary Underground Shopping Center is included in Seoul’s list of underground shopping arcades where Onnuri Gift Certificates can be used. Seoul’s materials identify the Yeongdeungpo Rotary Underground Arcade as a shopping arcade connected to Yeongdeungpo Station on Line 1 and list its area as 6,325㎡ and its number of shops as 133.

However, even if the entire arcade appears on the list, payment is not necessarily accepted at every shop. Onnuri Gift Certificate affiliation is determined individually by each shop, and the participating stores may differ depending on whether the certificate is paper, mobile, or card-based. Before paying, check the affiliation sign at the entrance or shop, state which type of certificate you have, and confirm whether it can be used. If you use the card-based version, it is also advisable to ask the clerk whether it can be processed like a regular credit card.

How to connect Yeongdeungpo Station, department stores, and traditional markets within 90 minutes

The underground arcades in the Yeongdeungpo area are useful as an intermediate route connecting Yeongdeungpo Station with the nearby department store and market districts. The Seoul Facilities Corporation’s nearby-area guide lists Shinsegae Department Store and Lotte Department Store, while an information guide from Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, explains that Yeongdeungpo Traditional Market is about a 10-minute walk from Exit 1 of Yeongdeungpo Station. You can plan to shop at the rotary arcade and then walk to the market’s Sundae Specialty Alley or Food Alley.

On extremely hot summer days, during severe winter cold, or on rainy days, the underground route has the advantage of reducing the need to cross streets above ground. However, if you have a large suitcase or need to travel by wheelchair or with a stroller, it is better to check the locations of elevators and ramps at each exit in the station guide beforehand. The official arcade guide does not separately specify wheelchair or stroller routes or foreign-language information services. Parking information is also not included in the official arcade guide, so drivers should separately check the conditions at nearby paid parking lots.