Markets

For eating, go to Gwangjang Market in Seoul and Jagalchi in Busan; for shopping, Namdaemun and Gukje; after dark, the Kkangtong (Busan) and Dongmun (Jeju) night markets, which run every evening. Check the day first: Namdaemun, Gukje and Gwangjang’s shops are closed or mostly closed on Sundays, and Jagalchi closes on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Tuesday of the month.

Markets are where Korean street food is cheapest and easiest to order: you point at what you want at a counter stall, and the posted price is the price. For what to eat once you are there, see the Korean food guide.

When each market is open

Market	City	Best for	Open	Closed
Gwangjang	Seoul	Eating: mung bean pancakes, mini gimbap	Food alley daily about 09:00–23:00; shops 09:00–18:00	Shops on Sundays
Namdaemun	Seoul	Shopping: clothes, kitchenware, ginseng	Hours vary by building, from early morning	Most shops on Sundays
Noryangjin	Seoul	Live seafood, eaten upstairs	Live-fish floor 01:30–22:00	Retail open all year
Jagalchi	Busan	Live seafood, eaten upstairs	About 05:00–21:00	1st, 3rd and 5th Tuesday
Gukje	Busan	Shopping and snacks	09:00–20:00	Sundays (district office: 1st and 3rd)
Kkangtong night market	Busan	Street food at night	Daily 19:30–24:00	Seollal and Chuseok
Dongmun	Jeju City	Tangerines, seafood, night market	Market about 07:00–21:00; night market from 19:00 (May–Oct) or 18:00 (Nov–Apr) to 24:00	Open all year
Seomun night market	Daegu	Street food at night	Fri–Sat 19:00–23:30, Sun 19:00–22:30	Mon–Thu; season ends in December

Market-wide hours from each market’s operator or city tourism site, checked 15 October 2026. Individual shops and stalls set their own hours. If your dates are fixed, the trap days are Sunday in Seoul and Busan’s shopping markets and the odd-numbered Tuesdays at Jagalchi; the food alleys and night markets are the safe choice on any day.

Getting there: Gwangjang is at Jongno 5-ga Station (Line 1, Exit 8); Namdaemun at Hoehyeon Station (Line 4, Exits 5–7); Noryangjin at Noryangjin Station (Lines 1 and 9). In Busan, Jagalchi Station (Line 1) serves Jagalchi (Exit 10), Gukje (Exit 7) and Kkangtong (Exit 3), all within about ten minutes’ walk of each other. Daegu’s Seomun Market has its own station on Line 3.

Which market in each city

In Seoul, Gwangjang is the one to prioritise: its food alley is open every day and late, and it sits between the palaces and Dongdaemun. Namdaemun, near Seoul Station and Myeongdong, is the bigger shopping market, with more than 10,000 shops and alleys for hairtail stew and knife-cut noodles. Noryangjin is the choice for a seafood meal, and Tongin Market, west of Gyeongbokgung, suits a light lunch after the palace.

In Busan, Jagalchi, Gukje and Kkangtong are next to each other in the Nampo area, so one afternoon and evening covers all three: shop Gukje, eat seafood at Jagalchi, then walk to the Kkangtong night market. See the Busan guide for the rest of the Nampo district.

On Jeju, Dongmun Market in Jeju City is the easy first or last stop near the airport side of the island; in the south, Seogwipo’s Maeil Olle Market does the same job. Outside the big three cities, Daegu’s Seomun Market (in Gyeongsang) and Jeonju’s Nambu Market (in Jeolla) are the markets worth planning an evening around.

How buying and eating works

• Point and pay. Stalls show prices on boards or cards; you order at the counter and usually pay when the food comes or when you leave. Food Sanitation Act rules require restaurants to post the full price, and under rules promulgated on 1 September 2026 a first offence of charging above the posted price, or posting no prices, brings a five-day suspension (Ministry of Food and Drug Safety).
• Gwangjang is being watched. After overcharging complaints, Seoul and Jongno-gu agreed with merchants in 2023 to show portion sizes beside prices and to stop pushing customers to pay cash. In 2026 a joint inspection began on 20 May, a mystery-shopper team that includes foreign residents continued, and a real-name system for street stalls started on 1 June.
• Fish markets have two bills. At Jagalchi and Noryangjin you buy live seafood at a stall, then a restaurant upstairs prepares it and charges a per-person table fee plus extra for stew or grilling. Ask both prices first; they differ by shop.
• Carry some cash. Market buildings generally take cards, but small outdoor stalls and night-market carts may prefer cash. Keep ₩1,000 and ₩5,000 notes; see money in Korea.
• Tongin’s coin lunch. At Tongin Market you buy brass coins (₩500 each; Seoul city’s 2025 guide gives 10 for ₩5,000, about US$3.70) at the customer centre, fill a lunchbox tray at participating stalls, and eat in the cafe upstairs. It serves lunch into mid-afternoon only and closes one weekday plus some Sundays, so arrive by early afternoon.

Night markets: where they run in 2026

Night market	Days	Hours	Season
Kkangtong (Busan)	Every day	19:30–24:00	All year except Seollal and Chuseok
Dongmun (Jeju City)	Every day, holidays included	18:00–24:00 Nov–Apr; 19:00–24:00 May–Oct	All year
Seomun (Daegu)	Fri–Sun	19:00–23:30 (Sun to 22:30)	27 March to December 2026
Nambu (Jeonju)	Fri–Sat	17:00–23:00	Reopened 1 March 2026 after the winter break

From the Visit Busan, Visit Jeju, Seomun night market and Jeonju city sites, checked 15 October 2026. Stalls close early when they sell out, and rain can cancel outdoor stalls, so aim to arrive in the first two hours.

Avoid closed days and holidays

• Sundays: Gwangjang’s shops, Namdaemun and Gukje are closed or mostly closed.
• Tuesdays in Busan: Jagalchi closes on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Tuesday of the month.
• Seollal and Chuseok: the lunar new year and harvest holidays close Jagalchi and the Kkangtong night market, and many smaller stalls everywhere. Jeju’s Dongmun night market stays open.
• Seafood is best early. Fish markets are busiest and freshest in the morning; sit down to eat at Jagalchi by about 20:00, because the restaurants close around 21:00.