Gwangjang Market

I considered gently easing you into my Seoul trip. Then I changed my mind and decided to give you my first experience of the city... Gwangjang Market (광장시장). A traditional street market in Jongno-gu, crammed full of food vendors.

I'd been awake for almost 30 hours by the time I set foot in Gwangjang Market, something that seemed to amplify the buzz of the place. It was a storm of colour, cooking smells, noise, scrappy decor and hand written signs. I loved it!

This post contains images of raw fish.

I didn't take as many photos as I would have liked; I was spaced out from a long journey and hadn't found my photo mojo yet. But I managed to capture the overall feel of the place.

The photo of the lady above is one of my favourites from this set. She was selling soondae (blood sausage), jokbal (pig feet) and pig intestines.

Bindaetteok being fried and stacked up on the side. I'd love to try a vegetarian one of these (many contain pork fat) if I ever go back.

This lady was selling side dishes like kimchi and pickled radishes.

Most of the dining areas consisted of plastic seats and simple tables, surrounded by piles of pots and pans.

I didn't realise this when I visited, but Gwangjang Market was the first permanent market in Korea and is now over a century old!