You’ll know it when you try it – on the afternoon of the 12th, the last day of the Lunar New Year holiday, about half of the customers filling the narrow aisles of Gwangjang Market in Jongno, Seoul, are foreigners. Many foreign tourists looked around the market while holding and eating hotteok, kkwabaegi, and gimbap. Gwangjang Market, which has become a ‘hot spot’ for foreigners, is reviving the Jongno commercial district. /Reporter Park Sang-hoon
A franchise cafe near South Gate 2 of Gwangjang Market, Jongno-gu, Seoul around 1pm on the 12th. 4-5 foreigners came in with hotteok and bungeoppang and ordered coffee, including ‘Americano’. This is one of the places where foreign customers who stop by Gwangjang Market buy ‘street desserts’ such as twists and pancakes and various drinks. Owner A said, “These days, Gwangjang Market is crowded with foreign customers who come to buy various foods every day, and the number of customers at our store has increased significantly. On weekdays, 3 to 4 out of 10 customers are foreigners.”
At the same time, the food alley of Gwangjang Market. It was so crowded that you had to bump shoulders with people as you passed by. “How much is it?” “Duo Xiaoqian (多少钱)?” As I passed by street stalls selling raw fish kimbap, bindae rice cake, etc., I heard various foreign words asking ‘how much is it?’ everywhere.
Graphics = Kim Hyun-guk
Gwangjang Market, a traditional market in Seoul with 120 years of tradition, has emerged as a sacred place for K-tourism, absorbing foreign tourists from the MZ generation in their 10s to 40s (those born between the early 1980s and early 2000s), and sales have bottomed out during the coronavirus period. The nearby Jongno commercial district, which was hit hard, is also being revived.
According to BC Card on the 13th, if the payment amount at a general restaurant in Jongno, Seoul near Gwangjang Market in 2020 is 100, it will be 112 in 2021, 155 in 2022, and 185 in 2023. The lodging industry also increased to 103 in 2021, 186 in 2022, and 241 in 2023. As foreign tourists flowed into Gwangjang Market as new ‘consumers’, sales in the entire Jongno commercial district also changed.
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Graphics = Kim Hyun-guk
◇Gwangjang Market changes the entire Jongno commercial district
On the same day, an outdoor store across the street from the east gate of Gwangjang Market. Five to six foreign tourists were choosing hiking clothes here. Mr. Kim (67), who runs this place, said, “The number of foreign tourists visiting Gwangjang Market stopping here to buy clothes has increased significantly, and thanks to this, we even applied for a ‘tax free’ franchise in November of last year.” .
On the afternoon of February 13, 2024, many foreign tourists are visiting Gwangjang Market in Seoul. / Reporter Oh Jong-chan
Mr. Kim (45), who sells Tanghulu near the North 2 Gate of Gwangjang Market, also said, “As the number of Japanese and Chinese tourists visiting Gwangjang Market has increased significantly, our store is also seeing an influx of foreign customers these days.”
Gwangjang Market is one of the places that changed the most before and after the spread of the coronavirus. Before the spread of the coronavirus, Gwangjang Market was originally a popular place for nearby office workers, merchants, and middle-aged people in their 50s and 60s. It is considered a representative food alley selling bindaetteok and gimbap, and is always crowded with Korean customers. Change came right after Corona. Due to social distancing, sales have plummeted and human traffic has been cut off like a lie. It seemed like the revival of Gwangjang Market would never come again.
However, merchants turned this into a ‘time for reorganization.’ About 20 to 30 leading restaurants changed their interiors and improved hygiene by repairing sinks and sinks. According to BC Card, the amount and number of payments made by foreigners at Gwangjang Market are increasing rapidly every year. In 2020, the payment amount and number of payments by foreigners was considered 100. In 2022, compared to 2020, the payment amount increased to 115 and the number of payments increased to 211, and in 2023, the payment amount increased to 501 and the number of payments increased to 1,166. It has increased 5-fold and 11-fold in 3 years.
The changes in Gwangjang Market brought vitality to nearby Jonggak Station, Jongno 5-ga, and Euljiro 4-ga. Seun Shopping Mall and Nakwon Shopping Center near Jonggak Station are considered to be other areas where the number of foreign tourists has recently increased rapidly. ‘Cafe Tiger’ and dessert shop ‘Pau’ in Seun Shopping Mall, ‘Seoul Record LP Pub’ near Nakwon Shopping Center, and ‘Pasta Ok’ in Ikseon-dong are places where young foreign customers are posting travel reviews one after another recently.
Due to the popularity of Gwangjang Market, monthly rent and interest rates for stores in Jongno 3-5 are also increasing overall. Mr. Jo (65), who runs a real estate agency near Gwangjang Market, said, “Places that did not even collect key money in the past have now started paying more than 1.5 million won per month in rent,” adding, “The popularity of Gwangjang Market is having an impact on the Jongno commercial district as a whole.” He said.
Graphics = Kim Hyun-guk
◇’Twist’ created by K Contents
The cafe ‘Onion’ located at the south gate of Gwangjang Market is considered a representative place that changed Gwangjang Market. This place has attracted a lot of attention with its interior decorated with plastic tables and chairs covered with vinyl. ‘Hidden Hour’, a wine bar in the market that serves roasted soy sauce skin and other snacks, and ‘365 Day Market’, a unique select shop that sells hair accessories made from Saekdong Jeogori and various market foods, also attracted MZ customers in their teens to 30s to Gwangjang Market. .
Famous stores that have made a name for themselves outside are also opening pop-up stores (temporary stores) or opening new stores in Gwangjang Market. ‘Mr. Yong Yong’, famous for his Mala Tteokbokki, opened a pop-up store in Gwangjang Market last year, and Jeju Beer also attracted attention by opening a temporary store in Gwangjang Market. ‘Abebe Bakery’, famous for its cream bread made with Jeju specialties, and ‘Sagwadang’, a famous apple pie restaurant located in Yesan Market, South Chungcheong Province, also opened a new home in Gwangjang Market this year.
The reexamination of Gwangjang Market in Netflix’s original documentary ‘Chefs on the Street’, which aired in 2019, also had an impact in attracting customers again. British pop singer Sam Smith, Brie Larson, famous for the movie ‘Captain Marvel’, film director Tim Burton, and street art artist Katherine Bernhardt, known for the ‘Pink Panther’ painting, sold live octopus, kimbap, tteokbokki, hotteok, and twisted kimchi at the Gwangjang Market. As photos of people enjoying themselves were spread on social media, they played a big part in the popularity of ‘Gwangjang Market’ after 2020.
◇Successive rip-off controversies are homework
Recently, a YouTuber revealed that when he ordered a 6,000 won sundae at Gwangjang Market in Jongno-gu, Seoul, the restaurant owner replaced it with a 10,000 won assorted sundae and sold it. /YouTube Capture
Some point out that if Gwangjang Market is to continue to be loved by foreigners and Koreans in the future, problems such as ‘rip-off menu items’ and ‘changed menus’ that have recently upset consumers must be addressed.
Recently, a food review YouTuber revealed that when he ordered a 6,000 won sundae at Gwangjang Market, they exchanged it for an assorted sundae meat. Even though the customer ordered a 15,000 won assorted pancake, the restaurant owner insisted that he order more, saying, “The portion is small,” causing controversy. The representative of an F&B company said, “If the merchant association does not completely establish the quantitative labeling system, problems like this may continue to arise.” He added, “In order for Gwangjang Market to become a representative tourist destination in Seoul, this issue must be resolved first.” did.
It continues to be pointed out that some merchants still refuse card payments and encourage cash payments. The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s commercial revitalization team plans to introduce a ‘mystery shopper’ system and continuously monitor whether merchant associations continue their self-purification efforts.
2024-02-14 00:00:00
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