Friday, January 18, 2013

The Best Video Game Mart in Korea - Directions

Video Game Mart

Yongsan's Sketch Video Game Mart
How to get there, in photos.

This place is amazing! It's underground, it smells funny, and it's totally loaded with any possible piece of video merchandise you could hope to have. Whether you in the market for an N64, a Sega Genesis, a PS VITA, or a hacked Nintendo Wii, they have it! You can get anything from an NES to Pokemon figurines. The troubling fact is, it's impossible to locate. Follow these directions, and hopefully, you'll find it and learn to love it as much as I do.

NOTE: If you're looking for cameras, TVs, computers, or accessories, follow these directions and take pitstops and check out other floors along the way. Yongsan is an adventure in electronics.

Step 1
( Take Seoul Subway line 4 and go to Sinyongsan Station [신용사역]. )

Step 2
( Leave the station via Exit 3 )

Step 3
( Walk straight along the metal wall for less than a minute. )

Step 4
( When you reach the corner, you will see a collection of soju tents across the street. Turn right here. )

Step 5
( You will see Yongsan Station [용산역] across the street. )

Step 6
( Walk to the station. )

Step 7
( As you approach the station, you will see a large set of stairs with an escalator to the left. )

Step 8
( Go up the escalator. )

Step 9
( When you reach the top, you will see these doors. Go through them. )

Step 10
( Head to the back of this large half-outside, half-inside room. )

Step 11
( When you reach the back of the room, you will notice a hallway on your right. )

Step 12
( Turn right, here. )

Step 14
( You will see this skywalk, off to your left, immediately. You are about to walk through this. )

Step 13
( Turn left through this doorway. )

Step 15
( It will take a minute or two to reach the next building. )

Step 16
( Keep walking. During the day, there will be vendors lining this walkway. )

Step 17
( You will see these doors at the end of the hallway. )

Step 18
( Walk through these doors and turn left immediately. )

Step 19
( You will walk past a number of video game, computer, and camera shops. )

Step 20
( This will be your first opportunity to turn right. Don't turn here. Wait for your second right. )

Step 21
( The second opportunity to turn right leads to this stairwell. Walk down to the ground floor. )

Step 22
( From the stairs, this is what the ground floor looks like. Walk towards the door at the far end of the room. )

Step 23
( Walk through that exit door. )

Step 24
( When you get outside, you will see this glass structure. Walk past it to the left, towards the "P" sign hanging on the streetlight. )

Step 25
( Walk toward that tent/store near the center of the picture. )

Step 26
( At the corner, you will see this street heading up the hill. Follow the road up hill, sticking to the right. )

Step 27
( Walk past this cafe/restaurant & bootleg DVD shop. )

Step 29
( You will see this entrance on your right. This is the VIDEO GAME MART! )

Step 28
( Just to be sure. You should see this giant PS VITA sign hanging above the door. [BE WARNED: This sign changes sometimes.] )

Step 30
( Walk through these doors... )

Step 31
( and down past the Assassin's Creed III signs... )

Video Game Mart
( to video game goodness! )

Video Game Mart
( PSPs & action figures )

Video Game Mart
( Sega & Super Nintendo )

Video Game Mart
( Figurines )

Video Game Mart
( Pokeball ChupaChups )

Video Game Mart
( Xbox360 & PS3 )

Video Game Mart
( Rockband & PS VITA )

Video Game Mart
( Gameboy Advanced & Gameboy Color )

Video Game Mart
( Gamecube )

Video Game Mart
( New & Used Everything )

Video Game Mart
( Deals on games for 5,000won )

Video Game Mart
( I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THESE ARE! )

Have Fun!

For more on my life in Korea, check out my tumblr account: Public Intox in Korea

Feel free to comment or email me with questions or comments: spenser.r.ford@gmail.com

37 comments:

  1. As of December 2014 these directions worked fine. The only difference is the building is gone (??) so instead of going through doors then walking down to the ground floor - you will go down stairs from the tunnel thing and will be facing the parking lot P sign. From there the directions are the same. It worked fine for us.

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  2. Thanks for the article and the comments. I am looking for dreamcast controller and I think I will find it there. I was ldreaming about this place. I went to Yongsan once and I confirm that the buildind has disapeared (!!).

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  3. I went here today based on these instructions. First of all, it's much easier to get off at Yongsan Station directly. Second of all, the building where the video game mart used to be has closed down, and the shops are now located in the building opposite of it (there should be console related advertising on the building). When you go inside, you have to go downstairs to get to the game goodness.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Helena

      Did you pick up any cheap retro games? I am going to Korea December, I wonder if it's worthwhile taking my time to make a trip there.

      Earnest

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  4. Hello any update on the new location? Thinking of riding a cab going there? What address should i tell the driver? Thanks for the help

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  5. I went today! It was awesome, but once you finish the skywalk there's no door, you have to turn right, there are some staris, continue that path, and you will see a parking lot, cross it, and then go left, there is an uncharted promo there, just go there and the real adventure starts there!

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    Replies
    1. Confirmed these new directions are still correct in April 2017. Thanks!

      Delete
  6. it s the best well thanks for ur post it is such a cool article .
    العاب فلاش

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  7. Just went there today. The construction threw me off a bit but i found it. Thanks!

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  8. Hi! This post could not be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my previous room mate! He always kept talking about this. I will forward this page to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing! ps4 pro accessories

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  9. Very interesting and informative blog and about the Nintendo Merchandise and I must appreciate your work well done keep it up.
    Nintendo Merchandise

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  10. With havin so much content do you ever run into any issues of plagorism or copyright infringement? My website has a lot of unique content I've either authored myself or outsourced but it seems a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without my authorization. Do you know any techniques to help protect against content from being ripped off? I'd certainly appreciate it. xbox accessories

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  11. Hi guys... are this shops still there at yongsan this time?

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  12. Hey, just wanted to update - March 9th, 2019

    This place has been around since I first came to Korea and bought a GameCube in 2014. I just went to sell it back there as I’m leaving. It’s not disappearing anytime soon for those of you in the future who’d like to know.

    If you’re familiar with Korea, use KakaoMap to get there - there are many nearby bus stops. Here’s the address along with a link:
    서울 용산구 청파로 100 (한강로3가) http://dmaps.kr/5fz9d
    I live in haebangchon, so I took the green 03 bus right to the front of the place.

    The name of the place in korean is 게임전문할인상가

    If you’re not familiar with Korea, you can get a better idea of where you’ll be going using the following google maps address BUT, be warned that google maps doesn’t work well in Korea. It’s not google’s fault however ;)
    The business doesn’t exist on google maps and dropping a pin doesn’t land on the exact building so I am giving actual coordinates to the place haha. Just copy paste these in google maps, (37.5330289, 126.9629870)

    I submitted the market to google maps using their “add a place” feature so I hope that works in the future for everyone. I found that one of the vendors has a site: http://www.gamemol.co.kr

    Also, a vendor told me today that the opening hours vary by vendor, so they might open up their stall between 10:00am and 2:00pm and then the entire place shuts down at 8:00pm. If you’re curious, I went on a Sunday at around noon and it was entirely open :)

    Hope that helps!

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  13. 21.11.2019 confirm the place but its better when you come later not early in the morning. I spend lots of time on the PC market in the near and come after lunch time. I come from yongsan station. You cant fail the place.

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