A couple of weeks ago, I was walking in downtown Uijeongbu when I came to a busy street with guardrails blocking pedestrians. The guardrails are a safe solution to pedestrians walking on the busy street, but pose a problem if you want to get to the other side. Nearby there was a little building with stairs leading down.
I saw people going in and out, so I wondered that it was either a walkway or a train stop. Either way, it may lead to the other side. What it led too, however, was a complete surprise to me. Underneath the busy street was an entire maze of shops. It was completely amazing to me.
The shops, were of an incredible variety. From toys to clothes to jewelry, there were many products for sale down there. Luckily, there were occasional signs that said “Way Out” with an arrow pointing to the next set of stairs. My biggest fear was being lost underground with no one to speaking English to help me. So, the “Way Out” signs were some comfort—except for the fact that I didn’t know what was on top either!
I did find my way out at the place I wanted to go after walking back a similar direction that I had first travelled, and trying again. I just paid careful attention so that I could go back through when I had to cross the street on the return trip. It was an fun surprise to walk right into the busy a seemingly endless underground market, so I will definitely have to try to visit again.