ew places hold both history and zeitgeist as thoroughly as Korea’s traditional markets.
Locals and expats alike walk into traditional markets and are immediately greeted with excited vendors ready to shove disposable menus into their hands and pull them into stalls. These stalls overflow with everything from farmer’s vegetables and still-swimming seafood to cheap clothes and traditional household decorations.
Stepping into traditional markets often means stepping out of tourist traps and into a mix of modern grocery shopping and centuries-old traditions.
Namdaemun Market, Korea’s largest and oldest traditional market, was established in 1414 and contains 10,000 stores, with over 1,700 varieties of products available for sale. Next to Old Seoul’s Great South Gate, Namdaemun is largely outdoors and famous for selling traditional goods.
Many Korean markets date back over 100 years, and are often interwoven with major historical events. For example, Gwangjang Market—Korea’s oldest permanent street market—survived Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945, but was partially-destroyed during the Korean War. By contrast, Busan’s International Market started during the Korean War in order to provide income for people facing wartime poverty.
Each market includes its own famous gastronomic specialties, with Gwangjang famous for blood sausage and knife-cut noodles, Jagalchi for seafood, and Sinpo for Korean fried chicken. It’s not uncommon to see entire stingrays strung up butcher’s shops, to watch squid, eel, and octopus swim in tubs until moments before you order them, or to find yourself enjoying fried chicken feet or pig cheek soup in tiny stalls after giving up on translation apps. Traditional markets—open late into the night—offer abundant skewered street food in a sea of neon lights, and endless opportunities for chance encounters with friendly strangers.
Bargains overflow in traditional and underground markets, where in addition to food, almost any sweater, jacket or jeans can be found for 5,000 to 10,000 Korean won ($4.24 to $8.47 USD.) Knock-off premium brands like Gucci, Balenciaga, and Supreme sell for cents, and unlicensed merchandise for popular television and video game franchises like Squid Game and Among Us abound. Traditional markets also contain stalls that double as flea markets. Altogether, it’s possible to walk out of a traditional market with an entirely new wardrobe after spending less than 100,000 won ($88 USD.)
However, much of the utility of traditional markets has eroded with time. Traditional markets were once an essential venue to share news and conversation before being displaced by digital journalism. Before the popularization of standardized currency in Korea, traditional markets offered a centralized place to barter goods. Now, large-retailers have left traditional markets as one of the only venues where a modern Korean can haggle. With most shoppers turning to multi-story megamalls and online shopping, the role of traditional markets has been largely displaced in modern Korean life.
Nevertheless, the craving for culture and contact remains strong. Both the Korean government and local communities have rallied around traditional markets. Traditional markets are essential to small businesses and craftspeople who focus on organic ingredients, local specialties, and showcase how goods are made to offer buyers a unique experience. The government has also advertised traditional markets, provided funding for market repairs, and limited the weekend hours major stores can be open. To this day, traditional markets are also a lifeline in rural areas, offering agricultural goods, produce, and household items on weekends, much like Western farmer’s markets.
Between hundreds of years of history, the spirit of chance meetings and bustling salesmanship, and an evolving cultural niche, traditional markets offer a unique intersection between Korea’s past, present and future.
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Hunting for Bargains and History in Korea’s Traditional Markets
Photo via Unsplash.
November 28, 2021
Stepping into Korea's traditional markets can transport a traveler from the typical tourist experience to a mix of modern grocery shopping and centuries-old traditions which evoke a sense of historical perspective and, for the astute traveler, tells the story of Korea's past, writes Katie Workman.
F
ew places hold both history and zeitgeist as thoroughly as Korea’s traditional markets.
Locals and expats alike walk into traditional markets and are immediately greeted with excited vendors ready to shove disposable menus into their hands and pull them into stalls. These stalls overflow with everything from farmer’s vegetables and still-swimming seafood to cheap clothes and traditional household decorations.
Stepping into traditional markets often means stepping out of tourist traps and into a mix of modern grocery shopping and centuries-old traditions.
Namdaemun Market, Korea’s largest and oldest traditional market, was established in 1414 and contains 10,000 stores, with over 1,700 varieties of products available for sale. Next to Old Seoul’s Great South Gate, Namdaemun is largely outdoors and famous for selling traditional goods.
Many Korean markets date back over 100 years, and are often interwoven with major historical events. For example, Gwangjang Market—Korea’s oldest permanent street market—survived Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945, but was partially-destroyed during the Korean War. By contrast, Busan’s International Market started during the Korean War in order to provide income for people facing wartime poverty.
Each market includes its own famous gastronomic specialties, with Gwangjang famous for blood sausage and knife-cut noodles, Jagalchi for seafood, and Sinpo for Korean fried chicken. It’s not uncommon to see entire stingrays strung up butcher’s shops, to watch squid, eel, and octopus swim in tubs until moments before you order them, or to find yourself enjoying fried chicken feet or pig cheek soup in tiny stalls after giving up on translation apps. Traditional markets—open late into the night—offer abundant skewered street food in a sea of neon lights, and endless opportunities for chance encounters with friendly strangers.
Bargains overflow in traditional and underground markets, where in addition to food, almost any sweater, jacket or jeans can be found for 5,000 to 10,000 Korean won ($4.24 to $8.47 USD.) Knock-off premium brands like Gucci, Balenciaga, and Supreme sell for cents, and unlicensed merchandise for popular television and video game franchises like Squid Game and Among Us abound. Traditional markets also contain stalls that double as flea markets. Altogether, it’s possible to walk out of a traditional market with an entirely new wardrobe after spending less than 100,000 won ($88 USD.)
However, much of the utility of traditional markets has eroded with time. Traditional markets were once an essential venue to share news and conversation before being displaced by digital journalism. Before the popularization of standardized currency in Korea, traditional markets offered a centralized place to barter goods. Now, large-retailers have left traditional markets as one of the only venues where a modern Korean can haggle. With most shoppers turning to multi-story megamalls and online shopping, the role of traditional markets has been largely displaced in modern Korean life.
Nevertheless, the craving for culture and contact remains strong. Both the Korean government and local communities have rallied around traditional markets. Traditional markets are essential to small businesses and craftspeople who focus on organic ingredients, local specialties, and showcase how goods are made to offer buyers a unique experience. The government has also advertised traditional markets, provided funding for market repairs, and limited the weekend hours major stores can be open. To this day, traditional markets are also a lifeline in rural areas, offering agricultural goods, produce, and household items on weekends, much like Western farmer’s markets.
Between hundreds of years of history, the spirit of chance meetings and bustling salesmanship, and an evolving cultural niche, traditional markets offer a unique intersection between Korea’s past, present and future.
