Secret world hidden down these stairs on Seoul’s streets

The first thing I noticed when I stepped out onto one of Seoul’s busy streets was the nondescript set of stairs descending into the pavement just a few metres from my hotel.
It seemed unusual and I assumed it was just an entrance to an underground train station until I noticed another one across the road.
And across the next road. And down the street. And around the corner.
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At first I didn’t want to approach them, worried I might stray into an area tourists weren’t supposed to be in.
But when I plucked up the courage to get closer and peer down the stairs, I noticed tiny words printed in English under the Korean characters emblazoned on a sign above the stairway’s entrance.
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“Myeong-Dong underground shopping centre,” it read.
I stared down into the shadows South Korean locals kept emerging from. Surely there wasn’t an entire shopping centre hidden under the busy streets of Seoul, right?
Wrong.
As I descended the stairs into a blessedly air-conditioned underground walkway (Seoul is sweltering in summer), I discovered a whole new world tucked away underground.
Laid out before me was a warren of brightly lit passages filled on both sides with tiny stores and stalls offering all sorts of goods, from luggage, to souvenirs, beauty products, even eyeglasses.
I couldn’t believe how many different stores were packed into the tunnels, which seemed to stretch on and on and on.
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It turns out that Seoul is full of underground shopping centres, many of them hidden under the pavement of busy tourist areas and shopping districts.
Some of the biggest are located near public transport hubs, like Gangnam Station, the Express Bus Terminal Station on Seoul Metro Line 3, and Yeongdeungpo Station.
The stores down there are usually relatively cheap and offer a massive range of products, with many staying open late.
There are plenty of signs posted at intersections in the tunnels, entrances and exits, as well as maps that can help you orient yourself in the often busy underground centres.
Many are also air-conditioned and offer free public WiFi, which is a lifesaver in the hot summer months and when you run out of roaming data.
But the best part – at least in my opinion – is that many of these underground shopping centres are connected by long tunnels that allow you to get around Seoul without ever having to set foot on a busy street above ground.
After discovering them, I used the tunnels to get from my hotel to the busy shopping area in Myeong-Dong without having to expose myself to the summer heat.
On another occasion, I trekked almost 1km across Seoul (as the crow flies) from the restaurant where I had lunch to the Deoksugung Palace entirely underground.
It meant I arrived quickly, as I never had to wait at the lights to cross busy roads chock full of Seoul traffic, and I wasn’t sweaty from trekking it in the sticky summer heat.
Just about everywhere I went in the city, there were underground shopping malls I could duck into for a spot of WiFi or to escape crowds in popular tourist areas.
Looking back on my three days in Seoul, which were spent running around after Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman while they promoted their new movie Deadpool & Wolverine, I can’t believe I almost didn’t go down those stairs on the first day.
The writer travelled as a guest of Disney+.
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