There is a Tokkebi(Goblin) Market in Korea

There is a Tokkebi(Goblin) Market in Korea


Do you know what a Tokkebi market is?

In Seoul, anyone can easily go to the Tokkebi(goblin) market. But those who first hear it may be wondering.

The legendary Tokkebi is one of the most interesting folk stories. The Tokkebi lights that appeared during the dark night is just fantastic. However, in the morning when the sun rises, the Tokkebi and its lights disappear.


Before modern society, many Koreans believed on folktales. “Tokkebi is a god for abundance that brings money, goods, and food to the needy people.” There is also a word ‘Tokkebi bat’ like Genie. The old tale said that Tokkebi carried a bat as a tool to produce anything.

We are sure that anyone can possibly have such legendary Tokkebi bats in Dongdaemun market. Everyone can expect it.

In any case, we have thought that it is better to call Dongdaemun market as one phantom market because most of the wholesale stores in Dongdaemun market open around 8:30 pm and close next morning. The wholesalers are doing business during the night like a legendary Tokkebi.

The light of the Tokkebis, like the legend, is not so bright because it is momentary. Likewise, the outside of Dongdaemun phantom market is not so bright. However, after opening every wholesale store, the inside of the market is surprisingly brighter under the LED light. In addition, the interior of the market is brighter with variety of colors such as rainbow and colorful accessories.

So many domestic and foreign retailers and buyers have said,

“Dongdaemun market is crowded with people at night than during the day, and everyone in the marketplace is lively.”

 In this aspect, Dongdaemun market is a unique marketplace that stays awake by producing and selling various fashion products all day.

SeoulClick executives and staff also go to work at 9 am, and some of them are working at Tokkebi market until midnight for the convenience of trading with foreign buyers.

SeoulClick, with its purchasing team and sewing technicians, offers a variety of purchasing services including inspection, repair, packaging and delivery of products purchased in the Tokkebi market.
<4>

Bong Sul (Advisor, SeoulClick)
Read more: Bong Sul, Dongdaemun Style, kstudy.com, Seoul, 2019. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The 2nd Dongdaemun Myth, which the Curtain has already risen (Spread of Online Commerce)

Image
As we often discussed, wholesalers in Dongdaemun market have continued to grow and develop their business size and performance with a peculiar marketing strategy of ‘selling good fashion products at lower prices’. Recently, however, the number of local retailers and foreign buyers visiting Dongdaemun wholesale market has declined significantly. Many people have been greatly worried about the difficult situation of Dongdaemun market. Is Dongdaemun market a chronic management crisis? Or is the market's future situation really dark? Instead of answering this question, we need to think about the causes of today's management crisis in Dongdaemun market. Depending on the idea, the phenomenon is due to the concentration of population in Seoul and the metropolitan area, and the recession of the local economy caused by the aftermath. As well as, there is a big reason for the rapid increase in the size of online commerce. On the other hand, such an increase in online com...
Read more

Dongdaemun Fashion and Supply-side Management

Image
  We often discuss whether the source of any fashion product is a design lab and a sewing factory, or a market to meet consumers. The issue of debate is whether it is a push on the supply side or a pull on the demand side. In fact, accounts differ.   Of course, designers’ creative designs, production in sewing factories, and supply and shipment to the wholesale market are made according to the consumer needs or preferences, and their desires. Some of suppliers, however, act as a driving force to stimulate and induce fashion consumers’ preferences and willingness to buy.   In Dongdaemun market, many designers, entrepreneurial wholesalers, and many small and medium-sized sewing factories scattered in Gangbuk, Seoul, as well as shops of an innumerable number of textiles and various fashion parts, are focused mainly on supply- side management.   They make decisions together or separately. They are partners, but sometimes competitors. Business behavior between these partn...
Read more

Dongdaemun Fashion and Innovation of Logistics System

Image
As is widely known, Dongdaemun market is a global shopping district that sells designers’ fashion products at low prices. In Dongdaemun market, however, its market competitiveness based on low price has been weakening gradually due to rising wages and other costs. In the late stages of development, it is true that Dongdaemun market is difficult to avoid the trend of wage increase., Furthermore, it is a big problem of the market that the cost is not reduced due to the inefficiency of physical distribution. We know about the Amazon effects, which have recently come up with an amazing business wave. As CEO Jeff Bezos said, Amazon’s mission is simple. They are trying to discover what products the global consumers want to buy and deliver the products to everyone on the planet. T o improve its performance and cost factors, Amazon is investing heavily in the mechanization of its warehouses. We should know that the key to Amazon’s success is, more than anything else, driven by l...
Read more