The Pyounghwa Market, Where Dongdaemum Fashion Begins
Pyounghwa Market was constructed in 1961 - the same year that Cheonggyecheon Stream was covered and turned into one of Seoul's new major roads. This market building - more than 600 m in length the Cheonggyecheon Elevated Road-represented Seoul's urban transformation and symbolized Korea's rapid economic growth in th 1960s and 70s. With th boom of the garment industry, Pyounghwa Market dominated a significant portion of the domestic market and contributed to the creation of the so-called "Dongdaemun Fashion." Behind the glamorous facade, however, garment workers sacrificed their health and sometimes their lives as they toiled on sewing machines in tiny spaces with low ceilings. This exhibition will provide an opportunity to agin a deeper understanding of the workers and products of Pyounghwa Market in the 1960s and 70s, its peoples's hopes and dreams, its impact on the growth of the Dongdaemum area as a fashion center, and finally, its transformation in recent years.