Myeong-dong is famous for many foreign tourists like Chinese and Japanese. I visit Myeong-dong or Itaewon when I want to feel an exotic surrounding.
In fact, I would like to say that one of the best courses to trip a half day in Seoul is Myeongdong. There are lively street with many people and Myeongdong Cathedral which has a history.
Let's look around Myeongdong Cathedral on a weekend day after eating brunch in one of restaurants of Myeong-dong. In my case I also watch a movie on Chungmuro Daehan cinema after Myeongdong tour.
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| Myeong-dong subway station |
The most convenient way to visit Myeong-dong is by subway. If you use a bus or a car, the arrival time might be lengthened depending on the road situation. Especially on weekends, there are often demonstrations in Jongno and Gwanghwamun city near Myeong-dong.
Myeongdong station is subway line no. 4. If you use line no.3, you can transfer to the line number 4 from Chungmuro station. Please use exit number 8 and go into the alley. (The Northface building is located on the opposite side of the exit no.8)
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| Myeong-dong street in Seoul |
There are English, Chinese and Japanese on the shop signboards of Myeong-dong. There is also a exchange bureau that has symbolic mark of dollar, yuan, yen and eurok. It is Myeongdong.
The most popular type of shops are restaurants and cosmetics stores. I remember seeing statistics that the most shopping items of foreign tourists are cosmetics.
There are Various Road shop brands such as The Face Shop, It's Skin, Nature Republic, Misha, Skin Food and Tony Mori, etc. Those kinds of stores occupy the first floor of Myeong-dong buildings. They have many kind of cosmetic products. I went shopping for a while and then moved to the direction of Myungdong Cathedral.
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| Myeondong cathedral in Seoul |
The closer you get to the Myeongdong Cathedral, the wider the road is and you can see the offices and hospitals in the building more instead of cosmetic shops and restaurants.
If you see the Catholic Hall, there is Myungdong Cathedral. You can see tourists holding a carrier in front of the lobby of the Royal Hotel Seoul. Walking a little more from the Catholic Hall, you can see the Myeongdong Cathedral building.
The Myeongdong Cathedral is the first Gothic cathedral built on Korean peninsula. The construction was designed by French priest Eugene Coast in 1892 and it was completed in 1898 at the end of the Joseon Dynasty.
Myeongdong Cathedral is designated as Korea Historic Site No. 258. It isn't bigger than European cathedrals but has its own beauty.
There are some tourists and Christian who are smiling each other.
I found a guide to the near cathedral. There are the cathedral main building on the center, the Catholic hall on the left outer and the area for penance on the left inner side.
There are also located Kosthall and room for hallow on the right outer side and the office of parish on the right side inner building.
I moved to the left side of the cathedral main building in a more peaceful mood. When you walk, you will face the statue of the first priest of Korea, saint Andrew Kim TaeGon.
Catholic talk about equality of human and faith in God instead of human kings. Joseon Dynasty persecuted Catholicism and saint Andrew Kim TaeGon cause Joseon had strict status system.
After saint Andrew Kim TaeGon's martyr in 1846, Pope John Paul II canonized him in 1984.
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| Myeongdong Cathedral |
At present, the number of Catholic believers in South Korea is over 5.7 million. It means that religion is Catholic in one out of every 10 Koreans.
In the capitalism society like now, the rich and the poor are kind of new status system. And the catholic message of 'Every being is equal in front of God' attracts people's heart.
The moon rose above Myeongdong Cathedral in the early evening. I stopped for a moment in that impressive landscape.
After finishing my day trip include a dinner in Myeong-dong, I finished the day by watching a movie in the Chungmuro Daehan Theater.
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