10 Best Places to Go Shopping in Ulsan

Seongnam-dong Street offers a wide range of shopping and dining options in central Ulsan. The thoroughfare has several sections to appeal to just about any shopper. The Bonded Goods Street is particularly great for clothes-shopping for the entire family, with local boutiques selling handmade shoes and accessories, plus clothes for women and children.

There are also many places to stop for a snack or meal. The longstanding Mecha Kucha Donkatsu is widely loved by locals for its crispy yet juicy meat dishes, while Namaskar serves authentic Indian dishes.

Young Street, which is always filled with bright and healthy laughter and conversations, has many unique stores and restaurants that serve cheap but abundant dishes. As a street targeting the younger generation, it features many low-priced clothing stores and franchise restaurants and cafes. For Ulsan locals, it is also an area filled with good old memories. In the aftermath of industrialisation in the 1960s, people flocked to the city to work and began to search for places where they could relax their bodies and souls that were fatigued from hard labour. This is how the street naturally started to thrive.

At the time, people moved to Ulsan from all over the country to make money just as people had moved to the U.S. back in the day for the American Dream. This even led to coin the term, the United States of Ulsan. Today, the street has more places for youngsters and the trends they love than old stores, but the scents of history still remain throughout the area. In a paradise for teenagers and young people in their 20s, check out the past and follow the trends of the present at the same time.

The Ulsan Keunaegi Night Market is filled with unique and delicious dishes from various parts of the world. This officially designated night market by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety opens until late, attracting those looking to fill up after a night of drinking or clubbing in Ulsan.

Must-tries include samgyeopsal gimbap (pork belly rice rolls), kkosuntteok (blood sausage, chicken and rice cakes). You can also purchase assorted pancakes (modum jeon), heart skewers (yeomtong kkochi) and other snacks to enjoy them at one of many rest areas throughout the market.

The Hyundai Department Ulsan Store sits in the heart of Samsan-dong, a prominent commercial hub in Ulsan. Fitting for the reputation it has built in the region for many years, the department store has a variety of luxury brand stores, high-class restaurants, and diverse cultural programmes.

Perks for loyal VIP customers include the Jasmine Black Lounge, Jasmine Lounge and Sage Lounge. Gallery H exhibits various artworks like paintings, sculptures and photography from South Korea and overseas.

The Lotte Department Store in Ulsan boasts a variety of stores, themed restaurants and cultural programmes. Lotte Hotel, Lotte Cinema and Young Plaza clearly display their identity as cultural spaces that attract customers from all over the world. It’s one of the largest indoor shopping centres in the city.

What stands out is the Big Wheel, where you can see the East Sea and Ulsan. Regular sales and diverse events also serve a huge role in attracting shoppers to this popular department store. An underground food court offers neatly prepared foods and snacks – great for when you’re pressed for time.

Samsan Design Street, established in 2010, is a clean shopping street featuring green trees and a stream. It actively reflected people's opinions and turned a place that was once difficult to walk around into a pedestrian-friendly one, and the street became more nature-friendly and filled with energy and character. What was once a two-way street changed to a one-way road, and signs of the stores were designed in a systematic and beautiful fashion. In particular, telephone poles and cables became buried underground, which brought a significant visual transformation.

There is also a sculpture that embodies Ssalbawi Rock of Gajisan Mountain, which is the source of the Taehwagang River. This rock is a small element that adds a storey to the street by the means of the spatial storytelling technique. This fun street to walk on is full of things to see and eat from restaurants and cafes to clothing and cosmetics, so it is being widely loved by Ulsan citizens as an area that represents the city. On every December 24, the street hosts the Snowflake Festival in celebration of Christmas to make winter for lovers more heartwarming.

Ulsan Jungang Traditional Market boasts history and tradition, and has continued to keep its place for several decades now. Changes in consumption patterns inevitably influenced traditional marketplaces. As more and more people visit department stores or large indoor markets and, subsequently, stores in the traditional market began to close down one by one, the market itself took active measures to bring positive changes for survival.

A roof was installed over the alleys of the market to allow customers to shop conveniently regardless of the weather, and the list of go-to items was also restructured to focus on linen and cotton as well as articles for marriage including hanbok and traditional goods whose variety and quality are outstanding. The Gomjangeo (Sea Eel) Alley, which is a famous local food street, has fewer stores now, but it hasn't lost its fame and popularity of the olden days. At night, one shop after another at Keunaegi Night Market begins to open its doors to take care of the market's night life.

Wolbong Market, having grown together with locals since 1980, is a place that continues to maintain its old looks through kind hearts and warm exchanges. Although it is not a huge market, it still greets its customers with many of the items that people expect to find at a traditional market. Side dish stores are like the flower of the market. Neatly prepared side dishes that have taken care of people's meals for a long, long time are one of the primary reasons people visit a traditional market.

Moonlight Barbecue Alley whose name originated from Wol, which means moon in Korean, of Wolbong attracts many people with various kinds of barbecue. Steaming bean curd, fresh vegetables and fruit, and many different types of fish caught not only in the East Sea but also in the remote ocean are waiting their turns to be sold to customers. There are also many restaurants that only locals know and go to and, among them, Haeungun Sikdang, which is run by an old couple, is widely loved by locals thanks to grilled fish set meals with neatly prepared side dishes at cheap prices. Another friend of the residents, Haebaragi Bunsik, serves soybean paste bibimbap (doenjang bibimbap) at affordable prices.

Sinjeong Market is a dynamic market that boasts its charms as a large traditional market and welcomes many people who come for a wide variety of goods and foods. As the biggest market in Ulsan, there are as many stores that have kept their places for a long period of time as those who have visited the market over the decades. The market also has traditional food streets such as Dwaeji Gukbap (Pork and Rice Soup) Alley, Kalguksu (Noodle Soup) Alley and Boribap (Barley Rice) Alley where you can fill your stomach at a cheap price while enjoying a view of the market and shoppers.

A lot of people visit the market for Kalguksu Alley and, if you search in advance, you will be able to choose a restaurant that suits your taste. There are public carparks next to South Gate 3 or near the marketplace, and shoppers may receive free parking tickets depending on how much they purchase, which makes it even more convenient to use the market. The marketplace itself is open year-round but stores have different off-days, so make sure to check before you go.