Cameras, adapters, TVs, PCs, laptops, accessories, cables and more. I felt like I’d just stepped out of Tron. Yongsan Electronics Market is so overwhelmingly massive and confusing, I didn’t know what to do with myself.
Yongsan Electronics Market (YEM) has everything a computer geek would need. If you want to take advantage of being in the land of Samsung or LG especially or any electronic brand for that matter, head down there and give your bartering skills a go. I have spoken to people who have had different experiences with their encounter at YEM. If you know what you want and how much you want to pay, then it will be pretty straight forward. In my case I went with a friend who wanted an Olympus XZ1, and it wasn’t an easy ride. To be fair, it was hot and we got lost, but we were successful in the end. Be sure to check out several different stores prices, and when they do offer you a price get them to write it on their business card for when you back later. The reason for this, as we found out, you go back and they magically increase the price by 20,000 or so. On finding a dealer with a satisfying price, the camera was sadly out of stock. When trying to communicate this, this is the message we got via google translater on his nifty computer.
As you can see (although blurry) it wasn’t easy to figure out what the guy had in mind. Eventually we gathered what he meant as ‘it is available for Friday’. Onward with our search, we eventually found a deal we were happy with, 390,000 won, saving around 200,000 on the price back in the UK. As a guideline it is expected that korean-made products generally cost 20% less here than other retail outlets, while imported items can be as much as 50% cheaper. This really does depend on the product and how lucky you are.
Overall, YEM is definitely worth a visit to get your hands on missing parts of equipment you need or even just to have a nose around. It’s like the labyrinth – minus David Bowie – but still fun all the same.
Take the subway to Yongsan metro station. You can also take the subway line to Sinyongsan station. Yongsan Station is located above, and Sinyongsan Station is located below ground. Signs are in Korean so keep an eye out for 전자 상가 (jeon ja sang ga, “Electronics Mart”). Or if you go to the main shopping centre there is an air passenger walkway tunnel.
Opening hours vary depending on the vendor, guidline: 10am-8pm
