Ulsan Jungang Traditional Market

In the heart of Ulsan's old town, in Seongnam-dong and Okgyo-dong, Jung-gu, Ulsan Jungang Traditional Market opened in 1922 as Okgyo Market. It has stayed on the same site for more than a century, supplying local families with everything they need for feasts, ancestral rites and weddings. Come in the daytime for the old shopping lanes and in the evening for the night market.

A century in the same place

As Ulsan grew into an industrial city, the market never left the old centre, and it has held its own as a cluster of specialist shops even through economic downturns. It is especially strong in wedding goods, curtains, tableware, items for ancestral rites and clothing, so families preparing for a big occasion still come here first. A long arcade roof runs over the lanes – it is sometimes described as the longest arcade of any market in Korea.

What to see

• Arcade lanes: enter under the orange sign and covered lanes branch off in several directions, so you can browse even on a rainy day.
• Snack alley: stalls selling tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), sundae and fish cakes make it easy to grab a quick bite.
• Seafood hall: a separate building on one side of the market houses fishmongers and dried-seafood sellers. Its sign also lists bedding, fabrics, silks, curtains and tableware – a quick summary of what this market does best.

A night market run by cooks

The night market, now run as the Ulsan Keunaegi Youth Night Market, opened in November 2016 as Ulsan's first permanent night market. Its stalls offer around 30 different dishes made by former family-restaurant chefs, cookery-school instructors and young aspiring cooks, so the choice is wider than ordinary street food. It sets up around the "Street of Youth" in Okgyo-dong next to the market. Drop by in the evening and the market feels completely different from its daytime self.

Tripto tips

• Closed: the market closes on the second and fourth Monday of each month, and shop hours vary.
• Night market hours: the latest listing gives 18:30–22:30, closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Days and hours have changed since it opened, so check with the merchants' association (+82-52-246-6660) before you go.
• Time needed: about 1 hour for the daytime market; set aside an evening if you add the night market.
• Getting there: the market is in the old town centre of Seongnam-dong and easy to reach by city bus. From Ulsan Station (KTX), take a bus towards the city centre and Seongnam-dong; check routes in a map app.
• Combine with: a little over 2 km south-west is Taehwagang National Garden, known for its bamboo-grove walks. Garden by day and night market in the evening makes a good plan.
• Rainy days: most of the market is under the arcade roof, so it makes a good old-town alternative when rain rules out a walk along the Taehwa River.
• Facilities: there is parking for market customers and public toilets. On busy weekend evenings, public transport is easier.
• Evening stroll: the Street of Youth in Okgyo-dong, where the night market sets up, joins the old-town shopping streets of Seongnam-dong, so it is easy to wander on after the night market.