Gukje Market and Bupyeong Kkangtong Market 국제시장·부평깡통시장
Busan · Nampo-dong, Jagalchi & Yeongdo · Shopping
These adjoining markets grew out of the Korean War, when refugees and imported goods flooded into Busan, and the nickname Kkangtong, or can, comes from the canned foods once sold here. Today, lanes of clothes, kitchenware, souvenirs and street snacks fill both. Food worth trying includes seasoned glass noodles in the market alley, small rice rolls served with spicy squid and radish kimchi, and skewered fish cakes simmered in broth.
The mood is busy and a little chaotic, which is the fun of it. Stalls close at different hours, some on certain days, and small vendors often prefer cash. Hours and prices change.
Jagalchi Station (자갈치역) or Nampo Station, Line 1, then walk about 10 minutes through Gwangbok-ro. (Show a driver: 국제시장)
Show this Korean name to your taxi driver or match it to signs: 국제시장·부평깡통시장
- Best time to visit
- Afternoon, when every stall is open; evenings flow into the night market.
- Pair it with
- Bupyeong Kkangtong Night Market and BIFF Square and Ssiat Hotteok are in the same neighborhood, and Halmae Yubu Jeongol in Kkangtong Alley is inside the market lanes.
- Great for
- Friends, Parents
- Local tip
- Try bibim-dangmyeon (spicy glass noodles), chungmu gimbap and fish cake from stalls. Keep small cash handy, since some vendors only take cash.