Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP)

동대문디자인플라자 · Seoul  ✓ Verified September 2026

Free to visitThe building and grounds cost nothing and never close — only the exhibition halls are ticketed.

The curved silver facade of Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul
Photo: Eugene Lim · CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Zaha Hadid's silver spaceship in central Seoul — the go-to backdrop when a K-drama needs 'the future', from My Love from the Star's fashion shows to Lovely Runner's concerts.

Address
281 Eulji-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul
Getting there
Directly connected to Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station (Lines 2, 4, 5).
Hours
Grounds always open; indoor halls close at 20:00
Admission
Grounds free; exhibitions ticketed separately

What the sources show

🔎 Last checked · August 2026

We compare official notices, location records and Korean-language visitor reports. Specific opening hours, fares and access can change; check the linked operator information before travel.

The filming locations are the free part
Everything a drama actually used here — the curving silver shell, the ramps, the night-lit exterior — is outdoors and free at any hour. The ticketed exhibitions are unrelated to the screen locations, so you can visit this one on no budget and outside opening hours.
Indoor closing is 20:00
If you want to be inside the building rather than around it, the halls shut at 20:00 — but the exterior is generally more photogenic after dark anyway.
Source links:

Dramas filmed at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP)

My Love from the Star

Cheon Song-yi's fashion-show and event scenes — the drama helped launch the then-new building's fame.

Lovely Runner

The exterior venue for Eclipse's concert scenes.

Visiting tips

DDP’s exterior is free to explore, including after dark. Lighting and outdoor installations change with the event calendar, so check the current program rather than planning around a permanent LED rose garden. The rooftop park path over the structure is easy to miss and worth finding.

The building sits in the middle of Dongdaemun’s 24-hour fashion-market district: the wholesale towers across the street run deep into the night, making this the natural late-night stop on any Seoul itinerary.

What’s nearby

Gwangjang Market — Korea’s most famous street-food market and a frequent drama and Netflix-documentary backdrop — is one subway stop or a 15-minute walk west. Pairing the two makes the standard evening: market dinner, then DDP’s lights.