Seomyeon Retail Area, Busan, Korea (서면 쇼핑 지구) Walking Tour

Seomyeon is the commercial center and transportation hub in Busanjin-gu, Busan, South Korea. Seomyeon is also the most crowded area in Busan, having an average floating population of 1,000,000 a day. Seomyeon has three underground shopping malls meeting beneath the Seomyeon road junction, a department store, many shopping stores, bars, restaurants, movie theaters, banks, bookstores, clinics, etc.

Seomyeon has notable shopping areas, such as Seomyeon 1st Street. This area is located next to the former Cheonwujang near the intersection of the former Mariposa and the LG Electronics Seomyeon Service Center. Seomyeon 1st Street begun as a hot spot for young people, brimming with restaurants, karaoke, and shopping. In 2001, the Busan government remodeled the area with new sidewalks and street lights, and by 2005, 1st Street became known as the “Street without a car”. Seomyeon 1st Street is now the home of the Seomyeon 1st Street Grand Festival, held annually and consisting of dancing, cocktails, and quiz shows.

Another hallmark of Seomyeon is Seomyeon Printing Street, located south of Lotte Hotel Busan. The street is only 15 meters wide and boasts of around 330 book-making shops. The street is a popular destination for those who wish to have design work done or print their business cards, among many other things. Since 1998, Seomyeon Printing Street has been the home of the Seomyeon Printing Culture Street Union Festival, further cementing its place in the printing industry.

Seomyeon’s most famous area to shop is the Lotte Department Store, which includes an underground shopping area, as well. There are 5 stories below ground and 11 stories above. Among the shops, there is also a cinema, restaurants, and the popular hotel, Lotte Hotel Busan.

Like many other regions in Korea, Seomyeon has its own regional dishes it considers to be specialties. While enjoying the sights of the area in the summer, one can dine on milmyeon, or cold sour, sweet, and spicy noodles in meat broth. In the colder months, Seomyeon offers a dish called ttukbaegi (meaning earthen pot) stew, usually made with fermented soybean paste, soft tofu, or fish and hot pepper. This special pot allows the stew to remain hot long after it has finished cooking. Other noteworthy Seomyeon specialties include pork and rice soup, kalguksu (chopped noodles), and broiled sea eel.