Gwangju Yangdong Market

Stretching along the Gwangjucheon stream, Yangdong Market is counted as the largest traditional market in the Honam region. From fruit and vegetables to ancestral-rite foods, wedding gift platters and fermented skate, locals say there is nothing you can't buy here. In May 1980 its traders made rice balls for the citizens' militia, so for Gwangju people it is also a market tied to the memory of May.

A market over a century old

Yangdong Market began in the 1910s as a periodic market held on the sandy riverbank under Gwangjugyo Bridge on days of the month ending in 2 and 7. As it settled into a permanent market it kept growing, and its range of goods became the stuff of local sayings. It has since added modern touches such as a shared logo and an online shop, but the alleys lined with stalls still feel like an old market town.

The rice balls of May

During the May 18 Democratic Uprising in 1980, traders at Yangdong and nearby Daein Market handed food, drinks and medicine to the protesting citizens. The rice balls made and shared by Yangdong's traders in particular are remembered as the food that kept the citizens' militia going. In May 2024 Seo-gu district staged a rice-ball re-enactment at the market, and a monument out front commemorates the story.

What to see

• Skate alley: shops selling hongeo, fermented skate, which no Jeolla feast is complete without, cluster together here; around 2010 there were as many as 97 of them. The ammonia smell is strong, so try just a little if you are new to it.
• Wedding and ancestral-rite foods: shops specialising in pyebaek wedding platters and ritual foods line one section, a chance to see neat traditional food arrangements you won't find in most markets.
• Side dishes and dried goods: salted seafood, kimchi and seasoned vegetables are piled high in big metal bowls.
• Chicken shops: several shops sell fresh and fried whole chickens, and plenty of shoppers leave with one under their arm.

Trying hongeo for the first time

Hongeo is skate left to ferment, a Jeolla speciality. The ammonia produced as it ferments gives it a nose-tingling smell and a sharp bite that grows as you chew. Because no Jeolla feast or ancestral rite is complete without it, the skate shops are busiest before major holidays. If you are new to it, start with hongeo samhap, skate wrapped with boiled pork and aged kimchi, which softens the smell considerably. Some shops let you choose how strongly fermented it is, so ask for a milder one.

Tripto tips

• Opening: hours vary by shop but are generally 07:00–21:00. Many shops close on the first, third and fifth Sunday of the month.
• Getting there: Exits 1 and 2 of Yangdong Market Station on Gwangju Metro Line 1 lead straight into the market. There is also a car park.
• Time: 1 to 1.5 hours is enough to walk the alleys and grab a snack.
• Best time: the week before a major holiday is the busiest, as families stock up on ritual foods, and you feel the market at full energy. For a quieter browse, go on a weekday morning.
• Combine with: Geumnamno, the Asia Culture Center and May 18 memorial sites are a few stops away on Line 1.