DDP operator rejects mayoral hopeful's claim that landmark turned area in 'ghost town'

One of Seoul's most iconic landmarks, Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), has emerged as a political hot potato ahead of the city's mayoral election on June 3. While Democratic Party (DP) mayoral hopeful Jeon Hyun-heui argues that the DDP needs to go, the DDP operator on Sunday released new data showing the landmark has driven higher sales and foot traffic across the surrounding Dongdaemun shopping area in central Seoul.

The Seoul Design Foundation, run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, analyzed sales and mobility data to assess the DDP’s impact on nearby commercial areas. As a landmark in Seoul, the DDP has served as a multipurpose cultural platform hosting exhibitions, performances and more. 

The Seoul Design Foundation released the data after Jeon, a DP lawmaker, declared her bid for Seoul mayor and pledged to dismantle the DDP if elected. Jeon criticized the landmark at her campaign launch press conference, calling it “a representative case of exhibition-oriented administrative policy” and accusing it of “turning the Dongdaemun market area into a ghost town.”

Opened in 2014 at a cost of nearly half a billion dollars, the DDP is an exhibition and event space located in the heart of central Seoul's sprawling Dongdaemun Market, long a center of Korea's textile and fashion industry. Its fluid, futuristic design by late Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid has drawn both admirers and detractors, among them late Seoul mayor Park Won-soon, who derided the landmark as "unbalanced" and "ugly."

Annual card sales in the Dongdaemun Fashion Town Tourism Special Zone in central Seoul rose from 1.38 trillion won ($941 million) in 2019 to 1.45 trillion won in 2024, an increase of 71.3 billion won, or 5.2 percent, according to credit card data from BC Card, KB Card and Shinhan Card.

Sales data from nearby areas showed a similar trend. Shinhan Card sales across Gwanghui-dong in Jung District, central Seoul, rose from 272.8 billion won in 2022 to 361.9 billion won in 2024, an increase of 32.7 percent, according to Korea Tourism Data Lab.

The Seoul Design Foundation pointed to the DDP as a key factor behind the increase.

“Seven out of 10 DDP visitors said they used nearby commercial facilities,” the Seoul Design Foundation said. “The Dongdaemun shopping area, which once recorded vacancy rates of up to 50 percent due to an oversupply of fashion malls and the growth of online shopping, has regained vitality with the DDP playing a central role." 

Foot traffic data also showed growth. 

Passenger arrivals and departures at Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station rose from 20.77 million in 2022 to 25.72 million in 2024, an increase of 23.8 percent, according to Seoul Metro, one of the city's subway operators. Navigation searches for DDP-related locations rose from 21,012 to 56,417 over the same period, a 2.7-fold increase, according to Korea Tourism Data Lab.

“The figures show that DDP functions as a city-level asset that brings together local economic revitalization, tourism, city branding and public value,” said Ha Su-kyung, a research fellow at the Institute for Industrial Policy Studies. 

Survey data also pointed to strong public engagement. 

A Seoul Design Foundation survey conducted last year showed that 68.4 percent of Seoul residents had visited DDP, and 45.2 percent said they had visited more than twice. Among respondents, 48.4 percent of Seoul residents and 51.4 percent of foreign visitors reported using nearby commercial facilities after visiting DDP.  

Most respondents said they typically spent between 30,000 and 50,000 won at nearby restaurants or cafes after attending events or exhibitions at DDP.

A separate survey conducted by Kakao showed similar results. 

About 80 percent of respondents said they had visited DDP at least once, and 69.8 percent said they used nearby commercial areas. 

Their spending focused on food and beverages at 37.4 percent, followed by exhibitions and cultural activities at 16.9 percent, clothing and fashion at 15.34 percent, convenience stores and supermarkets at 6.71 percent and cosmetics and other daily goods at 5.08 percent.

Foreign tourists frequently include DDP in their itineraries, the Seoul Design Foundation said. DDP ranked fifth in a 2024 satisfaction survey of foreign visitors and second among landmarks visited by foreign tourists in 2023, based on a Seoul Metropolitan Government survey.

Spending by foreign cardholders in Gwanghui-dong also rose sharply. Shinhan Card sales by foreign customers rose from 14.9 billion won in 2022 to 97.6 billion won in 2024, according to Korea Tourism Data Lab. 

“DDP serves as strategic infrastructure for Seoul in terms of economic ripple effects and international exchange,” said Cha Kang-heui, CEO of the Seoul Design Foundation. “We will strengthen visitor and spending flows in nearby commercial areas by using AI and expanding international cooperation and district-linked programs." 

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY MOON HEE-CHUL [[email protected]]