Gu Ja-gyeong (Son Seok-koo) and Yeom Mi-jung (Kim Ji-won) visit this market on an afternoon date in episode 15 of My Liberation Notes/My Liberation Diary (나의 해방일지/나의 解放日誌) (JTBC, 2022). They amuse themselves while, among other things, buying things at the Rawrow branch at this market and east at a street stall … [Spoiler] until Ja-gyeong gets a call for an urgent matter and he has to leave in a hurry.

Also seen in Drinking Solo (혼술남녀) (tvN, 2016 — Source).

— #Jesuislà/I Am Here (2019/20 — Source)

— Streetfood (Netflix, 2019) Volume 1, episode 6 — Source
— The Amazing Race Australia (Network 10, 2019) Season 4, Leg 1, 28 October 2019 — Source
— Running Man (런닝맨) (SBS, 2011-present), episode 186, February 23 2014 — Source

Kwangjang Market [광장시장], opened as Dongdaemun Market [동대문시장] on February 21 1911 —others say 1905 or 1904 —, is one of the main and most vibrant markets of Seoul. It is located in the neighborhood of Yeji [Yeji-dong/예지동] — under the administration of Jongno-1.2.3.4 ga-dong/Jongno 1(il).2(i).3(sam).4(sa) [종로1.2.3.4가동] — in the Jongno District [Jongno-gu/종로구]; in close walking distance to/from Cheonggye Plaza [청계상가] and Sewoon Plaza [세운상가]. Its name also stems from this location, as it is located between two bridges of the Cheonggyecheon [청계천]: Kwanggyo and Janggyo. Another explanation of the origin of the market’s name is that it was run by the Gwangyang Cooperation when it was still known as Dongdaemun Market.

The market was renamed to its current name in 1960. This was after a major re-instauration of the market took place after it was destroyed during the Korean War and the market was turned into a three-story concrete edifice.

First starting out as market for agricultural products and seafood, today also clothes are sold here (hanbok stores and vintage clothing shops can be found on the market’s second floor) and food stalls and small restaurants invite for eating on site. The 1960s until into the mid-1980s are considered as the golden age of this market. When larger markets opened in the market’s vicinity such as the Dongdaemun Shopping Complex, its popularity started to vanish and the financial crisis at the end of the 1990s did the rest. But still in 2012, there were about 1,500 stores located at this market, of which about 1,300 since the 1959 restoration. In 2015, 5000 shops were counted.

Address
88 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
서울 종로구 창경궁로 88
(예지동 6-1)
Geolocation: 37.570157, 126.998970

Address Rawrow — Kwangjang Market Branch [로우로우 광장시장점]
No. 239 — 88 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
서울 종로구 창경궁로 88 광장시장239호
(예지동 6-1)
Geolocation: 37.570187, 126.998766

Getting here
▶ Euljiro 4-ga Station [을지로4가역], Seoul Subway Line 2 and 5, Exit 4
(6 min. walk)
▶ Jongno 5-ga Station [종로5가역], Seoul Subway Line 1, Exit 8
(7 min. walk)

— submitted by Marion KDL