It is in front of this grocery store that Kook Yeon-soo (Kim Da-mi) surprises Choi Woong (Choi Woo-shik) in showering cherry flower petals all over him that she had collected to make up for not going on a trip with him to watch the cherry blossoms when they dated. When Choi Woong remembers in episode 3 of Our Beloved Summer/That Year We (그 해 우리는) (SBS/Netflix, 2021-22) how he sat in awe in the cloud of rose petals, he says: „She showed this side of her only to me. So I couldn’t help but love her.“

A frustrated Jin Ji-won (Cho Yi-hyun) comes to play at the claw machine at night at this minimart in episode 1 of School 2021 (Hakgyo 2021/학교 2021) (KBS2, 2021-22). Just when she starts to kick at the machine because she didn’t win again, her new school mate Jung Young-joo (Choo Yeong-woo) stops by with his motorcycle to fill up the machine. When he has left, Ji-won finds a teddy sitting on the machine.

This appears as ‘Eunha Super’, the minimart that Cha Ji-won’s (Moon Chae-won) mother runs in Flower of Evil (악의 꽃) (tvN, 2020) — as seen in episode 2, when Ji-won meets Baek Hee-sung (Lee Joon-gi) for the first time in the summer of 2006 while manning the store.

Yoon Ji-soo (Lee Bo-young) comes to this mart in episode 1 of When My Love Blooms/The Most Beautiful Moment in Life (화양연화 – 삶이 꽃이 되는 순간) (tvN, 2020) to buy bottles of water to distribute at a protest, saying that she hates going to supermarkets because she was fired from one. In episode 2, Han Jae-hyun (Yoo Ji-tae) waits for her here — seen as ‘Crossing Super’ (삼거리 슈퍼)— in his car.

This appears as ‘Jaeha Super’ in episode 1 of Unasked Family (꽃길만 걸어요) (KBS2, 2019-20) along the road that Kang Yeo-won (Choi Yoon-so) brings her daughter and nephew to, in order to be picked up by the kindergarten bus.

After having had some spicy chicken together, the two sisters, Jung Soo-young (Lee Ha-na) and Jung Yoo-ah (Lee Yul-eum) get some ice cream at this market in episode 13 of High School King/High School King of Savvy/King of High School (고교처세왕) (tvN, 2014) and eat it while waiting for the rain to cease. Later in the episode Lee Min-suk (Seo In-guk) and Soo-young pass by here when he walks her back home at night.

This market appears as the local Twin Supermarket (쌍둥이슈퍼) in Reply 1994 / Answer Me 1994 (응답하라 1994) (tvN, 2013) as seen in episode 11 when Sseureki/Trash (Jung Woo) and Haitai (Son Ho-jun) have a drink here.

This market appears as the neighborhood market in You Are The Best! Lee Soon-Shin/The Best Lee Soon-Shin/The Best Lee Soon-Shin (최고다 이순신) (KBS2, 2013) — as seen, for instance, in episode 21 when Shin Joon-ho (Cho Jung-seok) waits for Lee Soon-shin (Lee Ji-eun/IU) in front of this store and wrist-grabs her away and in episode 23 when Seo Jin-wook (Jung Woo) and Lee Hye-shin (Son Tae-young) walk past here at night and he finally introduces himself (and explains his background) to her.

Also seen in Bride of the Water God 2017/The Bride of Habaek (하백의 신부 2017) (tvN, 2017); Squad 38/Police Unit 38/Tax Team 38 (38사기동대의) (OCN, 2016); in episode 18 of Reply 1988 (응답하라 1988) (tvN, 2015-16); Mrs Cop (미세스 캅) (SBS, 2015); Discovery of Love/Discovery of Romance (연애의 발견) (KBS2, 2014); Queen of Housewives/My Wife Is a Superwoman (내조의 여왕) (MBC, 2009).

— Innocent Witness (증인) (2019)

Ban Ah-in (Park Su-ah) meets her childhood friend Park Soo-ha (Kim Kang-min) here in episode 4 of the web drama Growing Season (잘 하고 싶어) (Playlist Studio, 2020-21).

MV Filmed here

— Jung Seung-hwan (정승환): ‘Walking along the moon’ (달을 따라 걷다 보면) (2020) (mini movie for dental care brand Dentiste [덴티스테] feat. Seo Kang-joon and Hong Ji-yoon)

Variety Program Filmed Here

— Same Bed, Different Dreams 2 – You Are My Destiny Yoon Sang-hyun & MayBee and their three children visit this store in episode 153 (July 2020) in remembrance of Queen of Housewives/My Wife Is a Superwoman (내조의 여왕) (MBC, 2009).
— On & Off (온앤오프) (tvN, 2020)

Yook Dong-sik (Yoon Si-yoon) stumbles thirstily towards this mart after a run, with Shim Bo-kyung (Jung In-sun) looking on, in the second teaser ”이상하다?!’ 체력 바닥인 무늬만 싸이코패스 윤시윤ㅋㅋㅋ( feat.정인선 빼꼼)’ of Psychopath Diary (싸이코패스 다이어리) (tvN, 2019-20).

Jaha Super [자하슈퍼] is a mini-mart (gumeong gagae/구멍가게) located in Seoul’s neighborhood Sinyeong [Sinyeong-dong/신영동] in the Jongno District [Jongno-gu/종로구], about a 12 minute walk to/from Jahamun-ro [자하문로] and 14 minutes to/from Jahamun Tunnel [자하문터널].

When actor Yoon Sang-hyun visited the shop in 2020 — having filmed Queen of the Housewives here in 2009 — he recognized the owner behind the counter, who was also present during the drama filming. In an interview with the blog ‘Spring Day in Namhae’ (남해의봄날), the owner explained that she had taken over this mini-mart from her father who had “run [it] for a long time”. Though “[t]he number of items and store spaces has decreased a lot compared to before, there are still people coming, so I open the door each day and wait for customers,” she continued.

The mini-mart, which has existed at least since the 1970s, will apparently soon disappear as it “is included in the redevelopment area” according to Spring Day in Namhae.

Jaha Super is also one of the markets drawn by Lee Me-kyeoung/Lee Mekyeoung (이미경/李美京) in 2018 for her series A small store (구멍가게), which we mentioned in one of our Saturday Summaries. It also appears in her most recent book Small Stores, Opened Today (구멍가게, 오늘도 문 열었습니다 )(2020). Photos of this market from 2009 can be seen on this blog.

Address
57 Jahamun-ro 42-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
서울특별시 종로구 자하문로42길 57
(신영동 158-5)
Geolocation: 37.600253, 126.962811

Getting here
Gyeongbokgung Station [경복궁역], Seoul Subway Line 3, Exit 3.
▶ Walk about 270m to the Gyeongbokgung station bus stop [경복궁역 정류장 — no. 01-116]
▶ Take buses 7106 for 5 stops, or 7212 for 8 stops to the ‘Harimgak’ bus stop [하림각 정류장] (approx an 8-11 min journey)
▶ The mart is about a 6 minute walk in via Jahamun-ro 42-gil
▶ Note that it’s located at the cross-point between this street and Segeomjeong-ro 6-gil (세검정로6길).

— submitted by Mich KDL, updated by Marion KDL; last updated 06/03/2023