Gyeongdong Market

Step out of Jegi-dong Station in Dongdaemun-gu and the smell of medicinal herbs greets you before anything else, from lanes stacked with sacks of ginseng, liquorice, jujubes and goji berries. Gyeongdong Market, opened in 1960, is one of Seoul's great traditional markets and is known as the country's largest market for herbal medicine, supplying around 70% of the herbal ingredients traded in Korea. It is not dressed up for tourists: this is where Seoul residents actually shop, which makes it a good place to see everyday city life.

About the market

The market grew up on its own after the Korean War, as traders gathered on open ground near Cheongnyangni Station while life in Seoul recovered. Officially opened in June 1960, it became a large traditional market centred on food and herbal medicine, and today it sprawls between Cheongnyangni and Jegi-dong stations. More than 1,000 herb shops, oriental medicine clinics and related businesses cluster here, and together with the wholesale and retail stalls for produce and fish the market area covers about 300,000 m². Daegu's herb market was once the centre of the trade, but Gyeongdong has taken over that role. The surrounding district is also called Seoul Yangnyeongsi, the Seoul herbal medicine market, and a district-run museum of traditional Korean medicine is nearby.

What to see

• Herb lanes: labelled ginseng, jujubes, omija (five-flavour berries), goji, dried chrysanthemum and liquorice fill sacks and baskets. Just looking at the colours and shapes takes time.
• Ginseng and health foods: many shops sell fresh and red ginseng, dried mushrooms and tea ingredients, and some will pack small amounts as gifts.
• Produce and seafood streets: stalls and arcades of seasonal vegetables, fruit and fish make this one of the best-stocked markets in Seoul.
• Gwangseong arcade: under the sign "Gyeongdong Market Gwangseong Sangga", a covered arcade is packed with herb and grain shops.
• The old Gyeongdong Theatre: the market's long-abandoned cinema has been turned into a cultural space with a large café (Gyeongdong 1960) and a retro radio repair corner, popular with younger visitors; performances are held on the restored stage.

Nearby

• Seonnongdan Altar: a historic site near Jegi-dong Station where Joseon kings prayed for good harvests and ploughed a field themselves. Seolleongtang, the milky beef-bone soup, is said to have originated from this ritual.
• Dongmyo Shrine: a shrine to the Chinese general Guan Yu about 2 km west near Dongmyo Station, easily combined with the flea market around it.
• Cheongnyangni Station area: the eastern end of the market runs into Cheongnyangni Station, handy for trains and the subway.

Tripto tips

• Getting there: the market lanes start right at Jegi-dong Station on Line 1; you can also walk in from the Cheongnyangni side. There is no market car park, so use public transport.
• Time needed: 1 to 2 hours covers the herb lanes and the produce streets.
• Best time: mornings are liveliest. Closing days and hours vary by shop, and more stalls shut in the late afternoon.
• Buying tips: check the origin labels on herbs, and if you are buying for health reasons, talk to a doctor of Korean medicine first. Cash is sometimes easier at small stalls.