Flowers In Jongno

This past Sunday the sun was shining, parka weather said goodbye and a warm breeze was blowing so naturally I couldn’t help but head out for a walk. I headed to Jongno to see what was going on and for the most part I found a lot of people planning their gardens and purchasing seeds, plants and fertilizers, which got me oh so excited for my rooftop garden. I haven’t tilled the dirt that the owners before us left up there just yet so I’m not quite ready for the seeds, so instead I enjoyed the scene and purchased some succulents for inside the abode. While I was out I came upon Jongno Flower Market Alley where the plants were cheap and the flowers were blossoming.

Jongno Flower Market Alley is only 110 meters in length and was established by relocating 150 street stalls from Kwangjang Market, the sign leading into the alley read. The sign goes on to say that this is “a specialized street built in accordance with the Project for Jongno’s Welcoming Streets undertaken by Jongno-gu Office.” An article from The Korea Herald back in 2010 explains that there was an effort to clear the main thoroughfares in Jongno of the overwhelming amounts of street vending carts and relocate them to specialized alleys in order to make the streets easier to navigate and more pleasing to the eye. The flowers, succulents, trees and seeds all together were certainly pleasing to my eye.

Directions: Dongdaemun Station (Line 1 and 4) exit 10, walk straight and the alley will come up on the right about a block down. There is a sign at the beginning and the vendors flood into the street so you can’t miss it.

Admission: Free, plants cost anywhere from W1,000 ~

Also in the area: When you come out of the exit be sure to turn around as Heunginjimun, or Dongdaemun, a large gate is just behind you. Also, if you walk south one block from the flower market you will come to the Cheonggyecheon, a perfect place for a walk when the weather is nice.