Myeongdong Cathedral
명동성당
Korea's first Roman Catholic parish church and the first Gothic building built in the country — begun in 1892, completed in 1898, and designated Historic Site No. 285. Admission is free. The basement crypt holds the remains of nine saints and martyrs.
Last checked: 2026-09-22·Desk-researched — not yet verified on site
Reservation
Payment
Admission is free, so there is nothing to pay for.
Hours
Tue–Sat 9:00–19:00 / Sun 7:00–21:00 · Closed: Mondays
Tips
- The English mass is on Sundays at 9:00. It is listed as the Myeongdong Cathedral English mass on the Seoul Archdiocese's foreign-language mass page, which also states that mass times may change and asks visitors to confirm by phone — call +82-2-774-1784 before going.
- About 590m from Myeong-dong Station (Line 4) Exit 8, or 616m from Euljiro 1-ga Station (Line 2) Exit 5.
- Visit Seoul lists viewing hours as Tue–Sat 9:00–19:00 and Sun 7:00–21:00, closed Mondays. Access to the nave can be restricted during mass and other services, so leave yourself some slack if you are coming to look around.
Myeongdong · Places
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.
Embassy-front Exchange
대사관앞환전An exchange office on the ground floor of 26 Myeongdong 2-gil. Its official site, which carries the company's business details and counter rates but is built and run by a third party (Trip Onda), gives 09:00–21:30 on weekdays, weekends and public holidays alike. Two Japanese travel guides both describe it as a popular exchange within walking distance of Myeongdong Station Exit 5, and one says there is always a queue. The official site posts its counter rates.
Gimbap Cheonguk Myeongdong
김밥천국 명동본점A branch of the gimbap and snack-food chain at 114-3 Toegye-ro, near Myeongdong Station Exit 4. DiningCode lists it as open 24 hours, every day, and a visitor blog says the same. It is the fallback before anything else opens. A May 2026 visitor post gives ramyeon at 4,500 won and omelette rice or spicy pork rice at 8,500 won; DiningCode's menu shows lower, apparently older, prices.
Sources
Reviews
Visitor reviews. Unlike the information above, these are not checked by the editors.
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