Address:       21, Namdaemunsijang 4-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul

Location:      Namdaemun area (Hoehyeon Station, Line 4 / near Myeongdong area)

Scale:           66,116m² (711,666ft², 79,074yd²), over 10,000 stores

Biz. Hrs:        Depending on malls or stores

Web:             http://namdaemunmarket.co.kr/index.php

Review:

The largest and oldest traditional market in South Korea since 1400s.

There is an old Korean saying that ‘if you cannot find something in Namdaemun Market, it is not in South Korea’. Like the saying the market has over 1,700 items including textile, clothes for men, women, and children, accessories, eyewear, electronic devices, kitchenware, folkcrafts, miscellaneous goods, food, and agricultural and fishery products.

The market mainly consists of independent shops, and the shops set price on their own. (You can bargain with seller over the price of products.)

Especially for the foreigners, this market is one of the most perfect place to get Korean style souvenirs, such as Korean style metal utensils and bowls, art supplies, Korean style pillows, and anti-cancer ginseng.

Namdaemun Market is not only famous for its wholesale, but also its food sections. There are numerous food stalls selling local snacks at ‘Foodie Alley’ such as tteokbokki (떡볶이, red pepper paste marinated rice cake), bindaetteok (빈대떡, mung-bean pancake).

The most famous thing to eat in the market are Galchi-jorim (갈치조림, stewed belt fish), and Kal-guksu (칼국수, knife cut noodle soup). Those menus have its own alley with several restaurants.

This posting was last updated on Jan. 27, 2019. Information may differ from now. 

Tag: Traditional Market, Namdaemun, Myeongdong,