Traditional Yeongdeungpo Market in Seoul

Assorted Korean side dishes called "banchan"

Traditional Yeongdeungpo Market

Yeongdeungpo Market is one of the oldest crowded and market places in Seoul. Despite the economic boom of the country, one can still see traces of the past's activities, including farming and livestock markets. Nowadays, it is more organized, tidier, and more access to various products.

Echoing similar comments from other observers, Dongdaemun and Namdaemun markets somehow has taken the rein of numerous tallies of "must-see" markets in the Seoul area.

Still, you can enjoy exploring, and simply 'eye-shopping' smaller markets that are equally filled with history and character spread throughout the city. And Yeongdeungpo Market is one of them.

A short walk from the stress of the glitzy mega shopping center of Yeongdeungpo Times Square is a retail shop that couldn't be more opposite of modern-day acquiring.

Despite the enormous variety of traditional markets in Seoul, Yeongdeungpo Traditional Market stays at the top of the list of popular and bigger markets.

Yeongdeungpo Market is proudly displaying various products from its more than 600 merchant stores.

As in other regional conventional markets, there's nothing over the top or flashy about the Yeongdeungpo market. Despite its constant popularity amongst locals, the market is really rather easygoing and idle compared to its competitive markets.

On midday see on the weekdays, the environment is pleasant, void of mass crowds, with reasonably less loud calls from shop owners and much lesser possibility of physical contacts from other shoppers and passersby.

Yeongdeungpo Traditional Market
Yeongdeungpo Market still has regular buyers as they prefer to purchase more traditional products. Such a group of regular visitors belongs to the more elderly group in the society rather than the younger generations and the millennials.

As a visitor from other cultures, however, you would prefer to see and observe the traditional and cultural items. That's because the new and global items could be monotonous and bland as they are available anywhere in the world.

At Yeongdeungpo Market, no longer come to find much better prices. It is mostly the older residents who live in this area come here to shop.

In a Seoul district that definitely has no shortage of shopping destinations, the Yeongdeungpo Traditional Market is still among the location's best choices at snagging the bare-bones discount rate costs. Such products could be farming produce, cooking products, or a brand-new outfit for work.

A shop filled with traditional rice cakes called "tteok" of various sorts

Traditional Food Shops
While numerous markets' piece de resistances include a plethora of street food, eclectic seafood offerings, and marked-down prices as their bread-and-butter staple, Yeongdeungpo Market is more than eats.

While a check out to the market indicates whole pig heads and chicken feet sightings at nearly every turn-- sufficient to make one start doing the mathematics-- upon more in-depth exploration, visitors can encounter a variety of shops dedicated to garments of all types.

Assorted seafood at the market including shrimps, octopus, squids, sea squirts, clams, etc.

Assorted Shops
Just name your price, whatever you believe is fair, and they will work things out. Sports clothing shop owners would entice the would-be customers in such a manner.

Whether you are hunting for a favorite piece of outfit or a pair of basketball shoes, the range is not in short supply, with piles of clothes and shoes stacked up so high that vendors are nearly lost in the range of choices.

Indeed, compared to luxury stores and department shops, coming to places like Yeongdeungpo is a different story. You can only buy the medium and lower quality but inexpensive products.

However, one should know that the suppliers of the shops in this marketplace are the same suppliers that supply products to many bigger stores and even at department stores.

In case you love exploring traditional markets, such as this one, be mindful that not all shop owners like to have their photos taken by foreigners. But this case might be different when you are shopping at Dongdaemun and Namdaemun markets.

On the other hand, as a traveler and writer, I understand why some local shop owners don't want their photos taken like specimens. However, if they think of business and free publicity and promotion of their shops, they should always welcome and be thankful to travelers who do such free-promotion acts. It's free advertising for them, a special offer from bloggers and social media influencers.

Now, if you want to include Yeongdeungpo Market in your list, let me describe your best route below.

Getting to Yeongdeungpo Market

This guide assumes that you are already in Seoul or South Korea who just arrived safe and sound after a long-haul flight.

At Incheon International Airport and other international airports, you will be coming out, get your Seoul Subway Map. Of course, you can simply search and upload a map into your smartphone.

Yeongdeungpo Market is open daily. Most of the shops start to do business from 5 AM and until 9 PM.

Take the Seoul Subway Line 5 and get off at Yeongdeungpo Market Station. Then come out from Exit 3. The market is just a five-minute walk from the subway's exit area.

Know in advance that Yeongdeungpo is a well-developed district area. So, expect that you can find larger structures and establishments such as public parks, museums, department stores, and expansive underground shopping and entertainment facilities.

Thanks for reading this and I hope you will enjoy your visit. Travel safe.