GWANGJANG MARKETS

Gwangjang markets became the staple breakfast location of our time in Seoul. For students or post-grads on a budget, this market provided the most culturally enriching experience at the best price. We were able to split food between the four of us, spending approximately $5.00 on breakfast every day. Prices varied throughout the stalls but some of the cheaper options, like the tteokbokki (rice cake in a gochujang sauce), will cost around 6,000 W. The more expensive options, like a large bowl of manduguk (dumpling soup) – and I am talking very large – will cost you around 11,500 W ($13.20 AUD).

I should note, if you are sharing food, you will have to go a little bit earlier before the lunch rush. During this time, the etiquette is understood to be one serving per customer. This will also cover the cost of the complimentary banchan (side dish) that comes with your meal. Korean dining is very unique due to the provision of complimentary side dishes ranging from kimchi, blanched seasoned spinach, or pickled zucchini. However, due to the cost of making such dishes, especially in a time of recession and inflation, the minimum of one serving per person is a respectful way to ensure these businesses stay afloat (also, and I speak from experience, the ruthless aunties will yell at you if you sit down during lunch rush and proceed to order two bowls of noodles shared between four people).

The Gwangjang Markets was truly my favourite part of this trip. For those who have no idea where to start when entering the realm of Korean cuisine, food mar kets and casual street dining are a succinct way to immerse yourself in the culture. From the pushy Korean aunties who care not for the ambience of the dining experience to the variety of foods on offer – from quick eats like eomukguk (fish cake soup) to heartier meals like sujaebi stew (hand-torn noodle soup). You can become truly overwhelmed by the amount of people, with barely any walking space and the hurriedness with which these aunties will be serving you. The Gwangjang Markets is a terrifying, slightly anxiety-inducing, yet incredibly nourishing experience.

One morning, we walked past some American tourists who, as we passed by, muttered “Can't wait to get gastro”. It is at this point that I would like to reassure you, precious readers, that you will not in fact contract any illnesses eating at the oldest food market in Seoul. Perhaps, if you are not accustomed to the strong flavours of South Korean cuisine, you may find it a shock to the tastebuds. However, you will not contract gastro. If this is still a concern, may I recommend the adjoining G525, the convenience store, which offers a variety of freeze-dried ramen for you to select from.

One of the most memorable moments of our trip became our obsession with the deung galbijjim from a particular restaurant located in the Seongsu district. Called CC Deungpan (you can check them out on Instagram @CC_deungpan), the two owners have perfected a variety of galbijjim dishes. For those not familiar, a galbijjim is a braised short rib slow-cooked in a sweet sauce. Sometimes this sweet sauce is a soy base, sometimes a kimchi base. At this restaurant, you will find a contemporary take on the galbijjim, using braised dwaeji galbi (pork ribs) alongside bean sprouts, king mushrooms, and spring onion. You can choose from three levels of spice, and there are other dishes on offer, such as the rosé galbijjim. This I would highly recommend. A sweet and creamy kimchi soup base, braised pork ribs, fried king mushrooms, and the addition of pasta cooked in the same soup.

We went three times.

And took photos with the owners.

A must-visit.

THRIFTING!

Thrifting in Seoul has irreversibly transformed my attitude to the thrifting scene in Sydney. Needless to say, it is dismal here. Good, genuine leather could be thrifted in Seoul, and was done so enthusiastically, for around 25,000 to 50, 000 W (around 28 to 58 AUD). Here, a tattered leather jacket from one of five vintage stores in Newtown will probably cost you $100 or more. There, Ralph Lauren sweaters in near-perfect condition cost 35,000 to 60,000 W depending on the area (around 40 to 70 AUD). Here, a stained one that has witnessed two World Wars for around $70 (Storeroom Vintage, I’m looking at you).

For curated, Newtown-style vintage shopping, head to Hongdae. The famous Hongdae shopping street is filled with vintage stores and you could truly hop store to store for hours on end. Honourable mentions include Kiko Vintage and Vintage Santa. Shops here will have a price range of 45,000 W (50 AUD) and up.

My favourite area for thrifting had to have been the Dongmyo district right near Jongno-gu. The downfalls of shopping at a curated, vintage store like Hongdae is you lose the right to bargain with your merchant. If Korean is a language in your arsenal, thrifting at the Dongmyo flea markets allows you to haggle prices with owners. Unfortunately for non-Korean speakers, locals see foreigners as automatically rich due to your ability to travel internationally, so your fate is much dire. For us Korean speakers however, this entailed creating elaborate sob stories of us being broke university students (true, though slightly exaggerated), which resulted in my sister snagging an authentic vintage Ralph Lauren cow-skin leather jacket for 50,000 W from 100,000 W (60 AUD115 AUD).

Overall, price points at Dongmyo are drastically lower than that of Hongdae. These flea markets are for the most part a free-for-all, with racks stuffed with a sheer volume of vintage pieces ranging from discarded old leather jackets from the 1980s - 2020s to recently donated secondhand pieces.

And while you’re in Dongmyo, I urge you to visit the Korean dumpling and bread shop Wangsangol Royal Donuts. A local store run by two aunties, it hosts a range of staple Korean savoury and sweet breads retailing at 1000 W (around $1.15 AUD) as well as the best steamed pork and kimchi dumplings consumed on the trip.

More Honourable Mentions

Two destinations I would urge you to visit would be the palaces in the Seoul CBD (Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Deoksugung, Changyeokgung, Gyeonghuigung) and Chuncheon; a city an hours drive outside of palaces stand to be great history lessons on the legacy of Imperial Korea, alongside a light education on the impact of Japanese occupation in South Korea from the 1910s to 1944.

Chuncheon, located North-East of Seoul, is a populous city with great cafe culture and home to one of the more niche South Korean dishes yet unknown to Sydneysiders. The hometown of my paternal ancestors, this city houses the dish known as dakgalbi. Even South Koreans recognise that dakgalbi can only be tasted in Chuncheon, and dakgalbi dining in and of itself is an experience. Similar to Korean BBQ, though yet to be exported to Sydney, chicken is cooked on an open pan alongside a dakgalbi sauce with a base of gochujang and cooked with cabbage, sweet potatoes and rice cake.

A Quick Note On Places I Would Not Recommend

The Gangnam area, made known to many through that one PSY song from the 2010s, is the most expensive suburb in Seoul. As such, many of the stores, specifically within the main strip (Gangnam Street), are packed with retail stores of higher price points. The friends we travelled with, Alannah and Avila, who had grown up in San Francisco likened this area to Los Angeles’ Rodeo Drive. As broke twenty somethings, there was not much appeal in shopping brand new with tags, specifically for retail brands to the likes of Ralph Lauren, which we could also find in Sydney. The same sentiment fell for Jamsil Lotte World, one of the biggest department stores in Seoul, which was simply a shopping complex that stocked international brands like Zara, Sephora, Adidas, and Foot Locker. Though if you’re looking to take advantage of conversion rates, a day in Gangnam would make for a good plan for snapping up staple pieces you have been eyeing at a cheaper rate.

It is important to note that my enthusiasm for Seoul is definitely rooted in my whole identity revolving around the fact that I am Korean. Aside from this, Seoul is truly a city that must be visited. There was nothing more refreshing for Sydneysiders than to visit a city in which nightlife does not end at 1:00 AM and is exclusive to Fridays and Saturdays. To be able to shop, eat and drink the majority of the week made for an unforgettable trip and an easier travel. But of course, as is custom when visiting any country external to yours, treat vendors with respect and make an effort to acculturate yourself to the etiquettes of South Korea. External to the immaculate night life is a history of colonisation that truly seeps through every orifice of the culture once the history is understood. It can be recognised in some of the foods that remain incredibly popular today, like eomukguk, which was born during Japanese occupation, or even the palaces which are only memories of what they once were.