A shopping street of Myeong-dong by night

Myeong-dong (Korean: 명동, literally means 'bright town') is an area in Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It is mostly a commercial area, being one of the main shopping and tourism districts in Seoul.

Actually, Myeong-dong is not an original name and it was not known as a commercial area at first. During the Joseon Dynasty era, it was mostly a residential district called Myeongryebang (명례방). Later on, under the Japanese colonization, the name was changed to Myeongchijeong (명치정). It started to be more like a commercial district during that colonial period. Finally it was changed to the current name, Myeong-dong in 1946, after independence.