Over the recent Lunar New Year holiday, I decided to take a family trip with my parents to check out the newly opened Daiso Bongdam Emart. To be completely honest, I had mixed feelings before walking through the doors.
If you live in Hwaseong, you might remember that this massive basement space used to be occupied by Nitori, the Japanese furniture and homeware giant. I have a lot of nostalgic memories attached to that brand. When I was living as an expat in Japan, there was a Nitori right next to my house. I visited it constantly to buy furniture, homeware, and futons. The quality was remarkably durable, and the designs had a specific aesthetic that I absolutely loved. When the Bongdam Nitori first opened, my wife and I rushed there to buy a winter futon. It was so incredibly warm that we barely had to turn on our Korean floor heating (ondol) the entire winter. Hearing that the store was closing down left me feeling quite disappointed.
Then came the news that in January 2026, a brand new Daiso was taking over the space. My initial reaction was highly skeptical. I thought, “What is so special about another Daiso? Aren’t they literally on every street corner?” While Daiso is undeniably a fabulous place to save money and find cost-effective household items, it is rarely a place that leaves you feeling “impressed.” Furthermore, the old Nitori shop was absolutely gigantic. I seriously doubted how a discount dollar store could effectively fill such a massive square footage without feeling repetitive and boring.
I am happy to report that I was completely wrong. After exploring the aisles for hours, I have to admit that this is hands-down the best Daiso I have ever visited in South Korea.
A Department Store Experience on a Budget
What sets the Daiso Bongdam Emart apart from your standard neighborhood branch is the sheer scale and variety of the inventory. While you will inevitably see some repetitive items to fill the shelf space, the massive displays will leave your mouth hanging open. It does not feel like a dollar store; it feels like a fully-fledged department store.
Location guide:
Address: 278 Hyohaeng-ro, Bongdam-eup, Hyohaeng-gu, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Use your preferred map for directions.
Expansive Shopping Zones
The zoning is incredibly well thought out. You can walk through distinct, expansive sections dedicated entirely to specific hobbies and needs.
- The camping equipment section has everything from foldable chairs to cooking gear, rivaling specialty outdoor shops.
- The health supplement and pharmacy-adjacent aisles offer practical daily vitamins.
- The kitchenware section is expansive, featuring beautiful ceramics and practical storage solutions.
You will also find dedicated areas for clothing, cycling accessories, DIY home improvement tools, gardening supplies, cosmetics, and an overwhelming array of Korean and international snacks. The K-beauty cosmetic section alone is worth the visit, featuring viral products that usually sell out in smaller branches.
The Golden Rule: Understanding the Cart System
If you are planning a visit, there is a very specific logistical rule you need to know regarding shopping carts. Because this Daiso is located inside the E-mart building, many shoppers combine their grocery runs with their Daiso trips. However, you cannot take the huge yellow E-mart shopping carts inside the Daiso store.
Even though the Daiso aisles are comfortably wide, the store is incredibly busy and packed to the brim with fragile merchandise. A fleet of massive E-mart carts would inevitably cause traffic jams and damage the products. Instead, Daiso provides their own small, red shopping carts and handheld baskets right at the entrance.
The “Cart Parking” Culture
This leads to a phenomenon that many foreign expats might find shocking at first. Right outside the Daiso entrance, you will see long lines of yellow E-mart carts filled with unpaid or paid groceries, completely unattended. Customers who shopped at E-mart first simply leave their carts in a designated “in-use cart parking space” while they go inside Daiso. If you come from a country where leaving groceries unattended is risky, do not panic. Korea is a highly high-trust society, and the chances of someone stealing your groceries or personal belongings out of your cart are incredibly slim to none.
Seamless Checkout and Foreigner-Friendly Payments
Another area where this mega store shines is the checkout process. Waiting in line at a busy discount store can ruin the shopping experience, but the Daiso Bongdam Emart handles crowd control beautifully.
There is one traditional manned counter for returns or those who need staff assistance, flanked by nine or ten unmanned self-checkout kiosks. Even on a busy public holiday like the Lunar New Year, the rotation was incredibly fast. The self-checkout system supports multiple languages, making it a breeze for expats and tourists to scan and bag their own items without waiting more than a few minutes.
Crucially, just like other major Daiso branches, this location is very foreigner-friendly when it comes to payments. They accept overseas-issued credit cards seamlessly. Whether you are using a Visa, Mastercard, JCB, or UnionPay card from your home country, you will have no issues completing your transaction at the self-checkout kiosks.
Unbeatable Convenience: Everything Under One Roof
The synergy of the businesses in this building makes it a premium destination for household shopping. Right next to the Daiso, there is an LG Best Shop for high-end electronics and a fully stocked pharmacy. Having the Daiso Bongdam Emart in the same basement means you can essentially furnish your home, buy your weekly groceries, pick up your prescriptions, and grab cheap organizational bins without ever stepping outside.
In a previous post, I highly praised the Easybuy mega mart in our area for its bulk imported goods and wide parking spaces. While Easybuy is fantastic, the combination of E-mart and this department-store-level Daiso has given this specific building its own massive competitive advantage.
Free Parking and Late Hours
Logistics can make or break a shopping trip in Hwaseong, but this location is stress-free. The parking lot is shared with E-mart, which means it is expansive, easy to navigate even with larger vehicles, and completely free of charge. You do not have to worry about validating receipts or rushing your shopping to beat a parking timer.
The operating hours are highly convenient, running from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. This matches the E-mart schedule perfectly, allowing you to comfortably shop late at night after a long day at work.
Final Thoughts
To give you an idea of how impressive this store is, I ended up spending over 70,000 KRW on this trip. If you live in Korea, you know that spending that much money at a store where most items cost 1,000 to 3,000 KRW is highly unusual. It is a testament to how fascinated I was by the inventory and how many high-quality options were available.
Often, shopping in a gigantic retail space can leave you feeling physically and mentally exhausted. However, the Daiso Bongdam Emart is arranged so intuitively, with excellent lighting and logical aisle progression, that you rarely feel that deep shopping fatigue. Whether you need to restock your kitchen, buy cheap camping gear, or simply want to experience the largest dollar store in the area, this location is an absolute must-visit.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What are the opening hours for the Daiso inside Bongdam E-mart?
A: The store operates from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM, matching the opening hours of the E-mart in the same building.
Q: Can I use foreign credit cards at this Daiso location?
A: Yes, the self-checkout kiosks accept overseas-issued credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, JCB, and UnionPay.
Q: Is parking free at the Bongdam E-mart building?
A: Yes, the parking facility is shared with E-mart. It is spacious and completely free for customers.
Q: Can I bring my E-mart shopping cart inside the Daiso?
A: No, large E-mart carts are not allowed inside Daiso to prevent congestion. You must park your yellow cart in the designated area outside the entrance and use the small red Daiso carts provided.
