Mangwon Market

망원시장

It opens at 10:00, later than Seoul's other well-known markets, which makes it a practical first stop after a slow start.

Language

Crab and seafood displayed at a Mangwon Market stall

Place information

Korean name: 망원시장
Address: 27 Poeun-ro 6-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul
Nearest station: Mangwon Station (망원역, Seoul Subway Line 6) (Exit 2)
Opening hours: 10:00–21:00 varies by shop
Closed: Not published by the operator
Admission: No entry fee — you pay each vendor

Google Maps Naver Map KakaoMap Official site

History

According to a 2013 Seoul Metropolitan Government article, Mangwon is an alley market of the kind that formed naturally in Seoul's residential areas after the 1970s. Stalls gradually filled a 250 m straight lane between multi-family houses, and the market took its present shape in the 2000s. When Homeplus planned a hypermarket in neighbouring Hapjeong-dong, traders opposed it with a sit-in and by closing their shops. Homeplus, Mangwon Market, Mangwon World Cup Market and the Mapo-gu district office then formed a council and signed a co-existence agreement; Homeplus agreed not to sell 17 items, including some vegetables and fish, and opened in March 2013.

Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul TokTok (2013) — how Mangwon Market formed, and its agreement with a hypermarket · Sep 17, 2026

What to see

The covered arcade

According to the market's website, it has a 215 m covered arcade, public toilets and the Mangwon public car park. Besides prepared food, it sells farm produce, meat, seafood and household goods. The website also introduces its environmental activities, such as a bring-your-own-container campaign and plogging along the Han River.

Nearby

People at the riverside railing after sunset looking across the water, the red arches of Seongsan Bridge to the right

Mangwon Hangang Park

A 7.4 km stretch of the north bank between Wonhyo Bridge and Seongsan Bridge. Its flood plain is open lawn with long sightlines, and downstream of Seongsan Bridge sits Seoul Battleship Park, built around three decommissioned naval vessels. Mangwon is not on the operator's list of the river's twelve bicycle-hire points, so a bike has to be brought here or hired in another district.

The curved concrete facade of KT&G Sangsangmadang's Hongdae building

KT&G Sangsangmadang Hongdae

A cultural complex with galleries, pop-up exhibitions, shops, a cinema and a live hall in one building. Check the dates and hours in the listing for the exhibition or performance you want to see.

Seonyudo Park

An island waterworks on the Han that was turned into a park without being torn down. Its concrete tanks and settling basins remain, now planted as beds and ponds, and unlike most city parks it keeps set hours and shuts at midnight.

AK Plaza Hongdae

A shopping mall standing over Hongik University Station. It never takes a closing day, and on weekends and public holidays it opens half an hour earlier than on weekdays.

Frequently asked questions

What is it known for?

Dakgangjeong (glazed fried chicken), croquettes and doughnuts, tteokgalbi, and traditional liquors — prepared food rather than produce.

Is it worth a trip on its own?

Not really. It is a neighbourhood market centred on prepared food, so it fits best as part of a day in Mapo or along the Han River rather than as a trip of its own.

Stories about this place

Three Days in Seoul, One District a Day: Jongno, the West and the Southeast
A three-day Seoul itinerary built around one district per day: palaces and museums in Jongno, Hongdae and the Han River in the west, then Bongeunsa and Jamsil in the southeast.
Hongdae and Yeonnam: Forest Park, Sangsangmadang, Cafes and Mangwon
How to choose between Gyeongui Line Forest Park, KT&G Sangsangmadang Hongdae, the cafe streets and Mangwon Market by weather and time of day, and how to pair them. Compares what you do at each, whether it is indoors and whether it runs to a clock, with the order inside each pair, what to do in the rain and what to check before you go.
Six Seoul Traditional Markets, Compared: Food, Opening Days and Tips
Gwangjang, Noryangjin, Namdaemun, Tongin, Gyeongdong and Mangwon compared on what to eat and buy, who each suits, Sunday opening, opening hours and which station to use. The six do not stand in for one another, so choose by day and hour rather than by what they sell.