Jagalchi Market
자갈치시장
Confirm the price and preparation method before ordering seafood, and remember that stall schedules can differ even when the market building is open.
Language
Place information
- Korean name
- 자갈치시장
- Address
- 52 Jagalchihaean-ro, Jung-gu, Busan
- Nearest station
- Nampo Station (남포역, Busan Metro Line 1) (Exit 2) · 6-min walk, Jagalchi Station (자갈치역, Busan Metro Line 1) (Exit 10) · 6-min walk
- Opening hours
- 05:00–22:00 varies by shop
- Closed
- 1st, 3rd, 5th Tue of the month
- Admission
- No entry fee — you pay each vendor
History
The name comes from the lie of the land: the shore here was covered in large pebbles, jagal.
Fish stalls first appeared on the spot during the Japanese occupation. When the Korean War drove refugees to Busan and shanty houses went up around it, the stalls multiplied — and that is how it became the large fish market it is today.
Japanese occupation
The first fish stalls
Street stalls selling fish began to appear on this stretch of shore.
Korean War
A market grown by refugees
Refugees' shanty houses rose around the stalls, which multiplied into a large fish market.
Nearby
Frequently asked questions
How does buying seafood work?
You agree a price for what you choose and, separately, how it will be prepared. Confirm both before ordering — they are not quoted together.
Do I need cash?
Bring it. Individual stalls set their own terms and card acceptance is not uniform across the market.
Stories about this place
- Five Places to Visit in Nampo-dong, Busan: Jagalchi, Gukje Market, BIFF Square, Yongdusan Park and Bupyeong Night Market
Five stops within a fifteen-minute walk, set out by what each is for, whether it opens on a Sunday and what it costs. Their hours run straight through the day, from a fish market before dawn to a night market at midnight, so the question is the order rather than the choice.
