Back in November 1993, Seoul’s first supermarket chain opened its doors in Chang-dong, Dobong-gu. Twenty years later there are some 470 supermarkets larger than 3,000 square meters nationwide. Before the emergence of super grocery stores, Koreans used to shop for food in traditional markets, household appliances at electronics outlets, and upscale items at department stores. But the prevalence of supermarket chains has changed Koreans’ spending patterns. They’ve started buying all kinds of products at one place. They buy fruits, fish, meat, processed foods, and even clothes, sporting goods, and appliances. Offering big discounts and a pleasant shopping environment, supermarkets easily muscled traditional markets out of competition. But now traditional markets are fighting to win back their turf and customers.

This is Tongin Market located in central Seoul. At a glance, shoppers there appear to be buying ready-made side dishes, but instead of putting their purchases in a bag, they’re putting them in black, square lunch boxes. They are customers of Dorirak도시락 Café, or Lunch Box Café, which opened up in Tongin Market last year as part of an effort to revive the traditional market. Here’s Ms. Yoo Hee-sook유희숙, manager of Dosirak Café.

At Dosirak Café you can buy whatever side dish you find in Tongin Market with old coins. It’s not run by a single businessman, but by a merchant co-op to revive the traditional market. There used to be an apartment complex near the market, but those buildings were razed to make room for a park, and we began to see fewer customers. So we started this shop to draw more shoppers and reenergize the market.



It’s quite simple to use Dosirak Café. You first purchase old coins from a customer service center located in the middle of the market. You receive a black container together with the old coins. The container is divided into sections so you can put your rice, soup, and four kinds of side dishes.

We decided to use old coins as currency, because we wanted the market to stand out. This area is a tourist destination and there are many museums nearby, so we decided on old coins to play up the atmosphere of the past. One old coin costs 500 won, around 50 cents. We recommend that shoppers buy a bundle of ten coins for 5,000 won and spend around 3,000 won to buy side dishes from the designated stores. The rest can be spent in the café to purchase a bowl of rice for 1,000 won and soup for another 1,000 won. You can purchase more coins if you need to. Children love using old coins. Some even want to take them home, so we sell them individually as souvenirs.

Now all you need to do is choose the side dish you want from dozens of stores lining the market’s main thoroughfare. It feels like you are at an all-you-can-eat buffet, with mouthwatering dishes tempting your taste buds. If you brought a friend, the two of you can pick seven or eight dishes to make a hearty meal.



(Woman 1) I was curious about Dosirak Café, about buying food with old coins. It was fun picking japchae, gimbap, dumplings, kimchi pancakes, and vegetables. I felt as if I was at a buffet.
(Man 1) The two of us picked different dishes so we can try different foods.
(Man 2) I had some ddeok-galbi떡갈비, fried vegetables, and mountain herbs. It was delicious. I bought more than I can eat, so I’m taking the leftovers home. They say the traditional markets are dying out, but there are some fresh ideas here.
(Woman 2) This market has lots of food we women like. This is great for only 5,000 won. We don’t eat many vegetables at home, but here I can get all the vegetable dishes I want for 5,000 won. It’s hearty and delicious. I even want to take home some of their kimchi pancakes.

What’s so great about Dosirak Café is not only that it’s fun choosing your favorite from all the offerings available here, but the food here is like what your mom used to make. The revamped Tongin Market seems to be vibrating with youthful energy as young people visit the market for a unique experience.

We see a lot more young customers. This used to be a quiet residential area, but now it’s changed to a young, vibrant neighborhood.

While Tongin Market underwent a makeover with Dosirak Café, Gwangjang광장 Market, Korea’s largest wholesale and retail market, is reinventing itself with a cleaner shopping environment and a market tour.

On November 9 Yu Jong-jin유종진, head of Gwangjang Market’s culture and tourism promotion team, led a group of young people on a tour of the market. Gwangjang Market is Korea’s first private market, which opened in 1905 to fight off Japan’s meddling in Korea’s commercial activities. Here’s Mr. Yu Jong-jin to tell us more about the market.

The biggest appeal of Gwangjang Market is its historical significance. Most of the stores here are 40 to 50 years old on average. Larger stores are usually run by second generation owners, which means the stores have been in business for about 100 years. Each one of the stores in Gwangjang Market has borne witness to Korea’s modern history. It’s amazing to see stores maintain their tradition for 100 years in the midst of the fast-changing times.

Don’t think you’ll see cobwebs and shabby appearances just because some stores are over 100 years old. The market has a new roof so that people can enjoy shopping in any weather. Also the high-pressure ventilators installed on the ceiling help maintain good air quality. There are also sprinklers all over the market to minimize the risk of fire.

I imagined it to be really run-down, but it’s so much cleaner. I also thought they would sell old-fashioned clothing, like the ones worn by grandmothers, but their clothes are no different from the ones sold at trendy Dongdamun shops.

Another appeal of Gwangjang Market is product diversity. Except for the third floor where offices and factories are located, roughly 5,000 stores occupy the first and second floors and sell just about everything you need in life. Here’s Mr. Yu Jong-jin, head of Gwangjang Market’s culture and tourism promotion team, to explain more.

There are three floors here. On the first floor there are clothing stores, fabric shops, grocery stores and take-out restaurants. At the end of the alley there are the market’s famous food vendors. Further inside the market you can find stores that sell fabrics, buttons, zippers, and other notions for sewing.



The first floor of Gwangjang Market is famous for its fabrics and beddings. They even sell funereal shrouds. But this section is famous for fabrics, because a group of successful fabric merchants formed an association in the 1940s, which has overseen the market operation to this day. Thanks to their hard work, Gwangjang Market came to specialize in fabrics, drapery, and textiles. Here’s market tour guide Kim Da-bin.

In the early 1900s, when department stores first opened in Korea, people thought department stores were for high-class shoppers. In contrast, Gwangjang Market was open to everyone. You can see some old-fashioned jobs here. The place you’re going to see sells fabric remnants. There you can see an old man who has been sharpening only scissors for decades. There are also alteration services and tailors.

They sell not only materials, but all sorts of things like buttons and threads, as well as fabric remnants. It’s a perfect place for amateur designers and moms who want to make clothes for their children.

The Gwangjang Market tour employs merchants as tour guides, offering unique experiences and little-known stories about the market to young people. Mr. Jang Gyeong-chun장경춘 has been working at the fabric section for more than five decades.

I’ve been in this business for over 50 years. I started when I was 26 and now I’m 80. I came here as soon as I got married. Children who used to come with their mothers to my shop are all grown and bring their own children. It’s crazy. I’ve had countless customers over the last 50 years. Why do you think they keep coming back? Because I sell good products and they like the dresses made with the fabrics I sell. That’s how I stayed in this business for so long. Thank you. (applause)

The most popular section in Gwangjang Market is the food vendor alley in the middle of the market. Stretching for about 100 meters, these tiny food stalls offer some of the most delicious eats in Seoul.

The drug gimbap, which got its name because it’s so addictive, looks really simple. It’s just some pickled yellow radishes and carrots rolled up with rice in a piece of dried laver, sprinkled with sesame seeds. But drug gimbap’s modest ingredients belie its addictiveness. Just try a piece of this humble-looking gimbap dipped in a mustard sauce and you’ll see why it’s called drug gimbap.

(Woman) It’s my first time trying the drug gimbap and I now know why it’s called that. It’s definitely different from ordinary gimbap. Even the sauce is unique. It looks like a mustard or wasabi sauce, but doesn’t taste like it.
(Man) I’ve never had it before. It doesn’t look especially appetizing, but it really is good. It’s the kind of gimbap that goes well with this market atmosphere.

Bindaeddeok빈대떡 or mung bean pancake is made in the same way it was a hundred years ago, with the mung beans ground in a millstone. Here’s Mr. Yu Jong-jin, head of Gwangjang Market’s culture and tourism promotion team.

Bindaeddeok is our market’s signature food. The most famous bindaeddeok in Korea is originated from Gwangjang Market. Bindaeddeok vendors even have their own business philosophy. They want old people to enjoy Bindaeddeok and a bowl of makgeoli for under ten dollars and remember their younger days with their favorite food and drink. The vendors’ marketing philosophy is to sell memories.



Gwangjang Market is also known for its hanbok shops. Hanbok maker Lee Bok-ha이복하 says at one time most of the hanboks in Korea were made in Gwangjang Market.

Gwangjang Market went national. Merchants from Busan, Daegu and other parts of the country came early in the morning to buy hanbok. They would carry the money in their money belts or in their lunch boxes.

Next to the hanbok section are the traditional craft shops. Here’s Ms. Oh Myung-hee, the second-generation owner of a lacquer ware shop.

I’ve been running this store for 45 years and now my son has inherited this business. The traditional craft shops in Gwangjang Market do business nationwide.

On the third floor you can find workshops where hanbok and other outfits are made to order. After purchasing some fabric on the first floor, you go up to the third floor to pick out a pattern and get a custom tailored outfit. Since each of the dressmakers, tailors, and hanbok makers here has decades of experience, you don’t need to worry about quality of craftsmanship.

Traditional markets are struggling to find their places in the modern world, where consumers are hard to please and competition is tough. But these two traditional markets in Seoul are reinventing themselves to survive and succeeding at it.