Cheongju Yukgeori Market

In central Cheongju, next to a junction where six roads meet, is Yukgeori Market – the name simply means "six-way crossroads market". Covered alleys run in a grid, and early each morning farmers from the surrounding countryside lay out vegetables they have grown themselves. It is one of the best-known traditional markets in North Chungcheong and the best place to see what ends up on Cheongju's dinner tables.

A market born on the riverbank

The market goes back to the Joseon-era Cheongju market held along the embankment of the Musimcheon stream. Stalls selling produce and firewood, soup kitchens and blacksmiths gathered on the bank, and that is where today's market began. When the six-way junction formed beside it, people started calling it Yukgeori Market, a name used since 1973. Today several markets run into one another; depending on the source, there are about 1,200 or about 1,600 shops. After arcades and car parks were added, it was named one of Korea's outstanding traditional markets.

What to see

• Morning farmers' market: every day at dawn, growers spread out their own vegetables and grains along the street. Come before the sun is high to see it properly.
• Five-day market: on dates ending in 2 and 7, the regular five-day market adds to the crowds.
• Alleys by trade: dried fish and salted seafood, vegetables and fruit, side dishes, clothes and kitchenware each have their own alleys. Walk in under the tiled-roof main gate and long glass-roofed lanes open up ahead.
• Food: small restaurants serving sundae (Korean blood sausage), jeon (savoury pancakes) and gukbap (rice soup) are scattered through the market, and long-established hangover-soup and snack restaurants are nearby.

Around the market

A 5–10 minute walk away is Cheongju Central Park, where the gate of the Joseon-era Chungcheong provincial army headquarters still stands. Next to it runs Seongan-gil, Cheongju's main shopping street, so you can easily combine the market with a stroll through the old town. Cheongju Early Printing Museum, built on the site of Heungdeoksa Temple where the Jikji was printed, is a little over 2 km north-west across the Musimcheon.

Yukgeori Market in numbers

Made up of several markets, Yukgeori covers about 99,000 m² and is said to draw 50,000–60,000 shoppers a day. Some 4,000 traders work here, so even one loop of the alleys gives you a sense of the scale of everyday life in Cheongju. There is a night market too: in 2026 it ran on Friday and Saturday evenings from 19:00 to 23:00 between April and July, with mobile stalls, food trucks and live performances. The season can change from year to year, so check Cheongju city's announcements.

Tripto tips

• Hours: tourism listings give 09:00–22:00 with no regular closing day, but each shop keeps its own hours and many are shut by late evening.
• Best time: early morning for the farmers' market, ideally on a five-day market date (the 2nd, 7th, 12th, 17th, 22nd or 27th).
• Time needed: 1–2 hours to walk the alleys and eat.
• Getting there: the market is in the heart of the city; from Cheongju Intercity Bus Terminal or Osong Station (KTX), take a city bus towards Yukgeori and check routes in a map app. There is a public car park for the market.
• Paying: larger shops take cards, but cash is often easier at street stalls.