Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market

Full transcript

Annyeong, yeoreobun! It's Yul from KVIBE IDOLS. Can you hear that? Splashing tanks, shouting sellers, crabs trying to escape! Welcome to Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market, Seoul's giant seafood kingdom!

Our story begins in 1927. The market first opened near Seoul Station under the name Gyeongseong Susan. And it grew into the city's biggest seafood market. In 1971, it moved here to Noryangjin, right by the railway on the south side of the Han River.

For decades, the old market was a maze of wet concrete and hand-painted signs. Then came the big twist. In 2016, the market moved into a shiny new building next door. Not everyone was happy. Some old merchants refused to leave, and the argument went on for years. In the end the old building was torn down, and today part of the old site is a soccer field.

But some things never change. While Seoul sleeps, in the dark hours before dawn, the wholesale auctions begin, and fish fly out to restaurants all over the city.

Yul's tip! Here's the fun system. Buy your fish or king crab from a seller on the main floor, then take it upstairs, where restaurants slice it into sashimi or steam it for a per-person fee. Compare a few stalls before buying, and don't be shy about asking for a little service, a bonus shrimp or two. Wear shoes that can get wet!

Next, we visit a market where the whole street smells like medicine, and a café hides in an old movie theater. Kaja!