Gwangjang Market

Opened in 1905, Gwangjang Market is Korea's oldest permanent marketplace. It started as a textile and agricultural exchange, but today its food alley is the main draw. The market gained global fame after appearing on the Netflix documentary 'Street Food: Asia' (2019). Sit at any stall on the first-floor food alley and watch vendors fry bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes), roll mayak gimbap (addictive mini rice rolls), and slice fresh yukhoe (Korean beef tartare) right before your eyes. 'Mayak gimbap' literally means 'drug gimbap' — named because it's supposedly addictive. It's remarkable how just carrots, pickled radish, and sesame oil can produce that flavor. Bindaetteok paired with makgeolli (rice wine) is the classic combo. The second floor has a completely different vibe — a yukhoe (beef tartare) alley with sit-down restaurants that are cleaner and more comfortable than the ground floor stalls. If you're interested in hanbok or vintage fabrics, the textile section on the market's outer edge is worth browsing.