Tongin Market
통인시장
Plan around the lunchbox cafe rather than the market: it closes on Tuesdays and stops selling tokens well before the market itself shuts.
Language
Place information
- Korean name
- 통인시장
- Address
- 18 Jahamun-ro 15-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
- Nearest station
- Gyeongbokgung Station (경복궁역, Line 3) (Exit 2)
- Opening hours
- Otherwise 07:00–21:00 Tongin Market Dosirak Cafe Mon·Wed~Fri 11:00–15:00 Tongin Market Dosirak Cafe Sat·Sun 11:00–16:00 varies by shop
- Closed
- 3rd Sun of the month · Tongin Market Dosirak Cafe Every Tue
- Hours notes
- It is the cafe, not the market, that most visitors come for.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Admission
- No entry fee — you pay each vendor
Nearby
Tongin Market Dosirak Cafe
The Tongin Market cafe where brass coins buy side dishes from the stalls into a lunchbox. It is what most visitors to the market actually come for.
Tosokchon Samgyetang
A samgyetang house west of Gyeongbokgung, worked into a remodelled hanok in Chebu-dong; its menu also runs to black-bone chicken and lacquer-tree chicken.
National Palace Museum of Korea
A national museum inside Gyeongbokgung's walls, at the south-west corner. It holds what the buildings alone cannot show — royal seals, the court protocol records, palanquins, the water clock. Saturdays and the last Wednesday of each month are the only nights it stays open to 21:00.
Cheong Wa Dae (Blue House)
A former presidential compound behind Gyeongbokgung. Check the official presidential website before planning a visit because public access can change with government use.
Frequently asked questions
How does the Tongin Market lunchbox work?
You buy brass yeopjeon tokens at the Dosirak Cafe, take an empty tray around the lane, and pay participating stalls with tokens instead of cash, then eat the assembled tray at the cafe.
Do all stalls accept the tokens?
No. Visit Seoul notes the token system applies in participating stores only, so check the signage before spending one.
Stories about this place
- Six Seoul Traditional Markets, Compared: Food, Opening Days and Tips
Gwangjang, Noryangjin, Namdaemun, Tongin, Gyeongdong and Mangwon compared on what to eat and buy, Sunday opening, and whether you need cash.
Nearby Food
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- What the broth is made of — eight Seoul houses, seven different bases
- Northern Korean Food in Seoul: Naengmyeon, Eobok-jaengban, Mandu and Kongbiji
- Seven Seoul houses that open for breakfast — before eight in the morning
- Six Seoul houses that make the noodle by hand — kalguksu, guksi, sujebi
- Enjoying Seoul's Cafe Culture
Travel Guides
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