Alien Invasion! A UFO-looked-alike object was found right opposite the Dongdaemun 24 hours shopping district!! lol For those who frequent Seoul and particularly Dongdaemun area in the past 5 years would have noticed constructions around that area. Now the constructions are done and the newly opened Dongdaemun Design Plaza, aka DDP,동대문디자인플라자, is the latest landmark of the design industry in Korea.
For many people alike, this neofuturistic building resembles UFO and it is also called the “UFO” building among Seoulites. This quirky and modern building targeted to serve as exhibition halls, retail stores and leisure spot is a work by world renowned architect Zaha Hadid. Ok, I am not sure why but this place somehow reminded me of the Esplanade in Singapore both did a fairly good job in merging arts/design with retail/F&B industry. They provide a fairly good selection of restaurants here at the DDP, and I always find myself wanting to come back to try out the food here.
The DDP is compromised of 5 modern and minimalistic looking exhibition halls: Art hall, Museum, Design Lab, Design Market and Dongdaemun History and Culture Park. One of the popular exhibition, My Love From Another Star Drama Exhibition took place here at one of the exhibition hall this summer. If you haven’t read about it yet, you can click on to the link given above. If not, I’ve put up a 2 minutes short video down here. Do take a look ^^
DDP is very accessible by bus or subway. Similar to Esplanade in Singapore and many other exhibition halls alike, admission to the building is free and they do hold free exhibition occasionally. The greyish facade of the building makes a perfect background for fashion photography so be expected to see fashionista taking their street fashion photography here at DDP.
Did I mention it is a good place to chill in the evening? Do not forget to visit their rooftop flower garden filled with 20,000 stalks of flowers that glow in the dark! Check my blog post about the DDP rooftop flowers HERE!
If my words matter, do try to plan your trip down to DDP in late afternoon, check out their cool UFO-like facade in the day time, then cool off/ stay warm in their indoor exhibition theatre/ restaurant/ flea market and come out to witness the beauty of this UFO building when the night falls. The dim and blinking lights of the building somehow create a beautiful and romantic atmosphere, very, very suitable for couples to come out for a walk after dinner.
Psst. If I were you, I would opt for some pizza or chicken and beer take-out dinner and wind down here in their outdoor resting area!
Night view at the DDP. Please pardon my old comrade, the Olympus Pen EP3 for the grainy images as this fella just lack of some night-mode talent. lol
For those who are interest to know/see more, here’s a Youtube video from the DDP’s official youtube channel about the building itself. On a side note, I love the fast forward filming method, which is pretty cool. It pretty much sums up the hustle and bustle of the area.
Directions: (click on map to enlarge)
1. Get off at Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station (Seoul Subway Line 4 동대문 역사문화공원역 ), Exit 1 and you’ll reach DDP.
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