Going Vintage at Seoul Folk Market
I really like antiques so when I heard there is a flea market selling old memento and vintage items, I blocked a Saturday in my schedule just to visit the area.
The market I am talking about is the Seoul Folk Flea Market (서울풍물시장), there are 851 small shops packed inside the two-story, 5,000-square meter warehouse that was built by Seoul city back in 2008 at a cost of about $9.4 million.
These hundreds of shops sell everything under the sun, from polished old cutlery to fancy lamps, from Joseon Dynasty-era pottery and a European knight’s helmet to a real Siberian Tiger pelt – don’t try to take that last one through customs.
In lieu of cliché gifts like mass produced fans or masks, I’ve found that the Folk Flea Market is a great place to get one-of-a-kind gifts for friends and family back home.
The original market started on a small street during the Japanese Colonial Period. But the market really took off in the 1950s when junk collectors from all over country gathered in the aftermath of the Korean War. Not surprisingly, most of the early stuff was clothes and food products discarded from American military bases or industrial goods rejected by local factories.
This unique place has many names. It used to be called the Hwanghak-dong Flea Market after the neighborhood beside the Cheonggyecheon Stream . But when the stream’s restoration forced the vendors out, they moved into Dongdaemun Stadium, which became the market’s new name. Some people call it the dokkaebi or goblin market because broken goods seem to get fixed like magic. Some of the merchants call it the Ant Market.
Thanks to all of the moves endured over the years, some of those vendors call themselves nomads. They came to sell their wares in this latest location after plans were drawn up to tear down the stadium to build a futuristic Dongdaemun Design Plaza. While gentrification is inevitable, part of why I enjoy the market is to support these eccentric merchants.
Of course it depends greatly on the day and the vendor, but market organizers estimate that these days the sellers make about 200-300,000 won per day. That’s down from the 500,000+ they’d bring in at the market’s old location inside the stadium. The vendors say the new location isn’t bad but the city’s marketing is inadequate. Plus, the space is cold in the winter and 40 degrees Celsius in the summer. Looking at the place, most of the items sold were not really folksy looking and most of them were really junk, some of the ajumma sells Army uniforms but the price is not fit to buy, especially for students like me. Some of the “antiques” were not really antiques but rather reproductions of items made in China.
Still, some legitimate sellers can give you original paper bills and coins of North and South Korea. I was even lucky to buy a Japanese Paper money used in Indonesia for 2,000 won. An old long playing (1982) of Madonna’s Material Girl was sold for only 1,000 won so I got hold of it. Though I am not that satisfied with the place it all paid off when I went back home and displayed my new found junks. Buyers should also know how to haggle as some of the sellers will give you a higher price at your initial bid.
How to get there
The Seoul Folk Flea Market can be accessed via Sinseoldong Station on Seoul Metro Lines 1 and 2′s spur line (exit #9). Turn right at the first intersection and then look for the signs after approx. 250 meters.
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