The market lanes
Clothes, kitchenware, souvenirs.
Vano111ru — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Christophe95 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Christophe95 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ahmed — CC BY-SA 4.0
The largest traditional market in Busan; its name means «international market». It started in 1945 on an empty lot, selling goods the Japanese left behind when they departed and then whatever came in through the port. During the Korean War (1950-1953), hundreds of thousands of people from across the country took refuge in Busan, and the market became their livelihood and the city's trading hub. Today it is a web of lanes and buildings divided into sections, selling clothes, kitchenware, fabrics, bags, electronics and souvenirs for less than the shops charge. At its edges are Bupyeong Market, which turns into a night food market in the evening, and the alley of second-hand books. Next to the market is BIFF Square, named after the Busan International Film Festival: a pedestrian street with film stars' handprints set in the ground and rows of food carts. Its best-known snack is ssiat hotteok, a pancake filled with seeds and sugar, which is normally vegetarian; even so, ask about the oil and the filling. Most other street food is not halal. The best time is the afternoon, when shops are open and the food carts are starting up. Many shops close on the first and third Sunday of each month.
Clothes, kitchenware, souvenirs.
Handprints and food carts.
Filled with seeds and sugar.
Sinchang-dong, Jung-gu; Jagalchi Station (Line 1), exit 7
Busan Tower and Yongdusan ParkA 120-metre observation tower on Yongdusan hill in the old heart of Busan, built5 minutes walk4.3
Jagalchi Fish MarketThe largest seafood market in Korea, stretched along the quay of Nampo port in t7 minutes walk3.9
Gamcheon Culture VillageA village on a steep hillside in the west of Busan, its small, brightly painted 21 minutes walk4.5It is the largest traditional market in Busan, begun after 1945 and grown by Korean War refugees. Almost everything is sold there cheaply, and next to it are BIFF Square and its hotteok pancake carts.