Fish Markets In Seoul: Noryangjin and More!

Again and again, I’m asked for information on the Noryangjin Fish Market. How to get there, what to order and how to make the most of a trip there. I’ll be honest, I’ve been there a handful of times and though it is the most popular fish market in the Seoul, I just want to say that it isn’t the ONLY fish market in the city and definitely not the only fish market in Korea.

Noryangjin is the most centrally located of the fish markets in Seoul so I’ll give all of the info you need to know to get in, around, and up and down in the space but don’t be afraid to visit one of the other fish markets that only the locals know about.

Pro Tip: When you travel to any of the coasts in Korea, look at a map and see where the local fish market is. You’ll have a great time visiting more townie places like Seocheon-gun and enjoying their fishy treats and probably get a better deal on the fish too. Of course, Busan has the Jagalchi Market which is amazing too. Just saying.

Get ready to find one of these fish markets in Seoul:

• What to know about fish markets in Seoul
  • What To Wear To A Fish Market
  • Korean Vocabulary To Know At A Fish Market
• Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market (노량진수산물도매시장)
  • Noryangjin Fish Market Guided Tours
  • How To Get To Noryangjin Fish Market
• Mapo Agricultural & Marine Products Market (마포농수산물시장)
  • How To Get To Mapo Fish Market
• Garak Market (가락시장)
  • How To Get To Garak Market

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What to know about fish markets in Seoul

Here is a round up of three fish markets in Seoul: Noryangjin in the center, Mapo Market on the west side, and Garak Market in the east side. Almost all of the traditional markets I’ve been to in Seoul and elsewhere in Korea have fish vendors, but these three have substantial fish and seafood sections and have restaurants within that will whip the fish into delightful culinary shape for you.

Decide which one is closest to what you want to see or where you’re living. Which one will be easiest to get to and head there for basically the same experience.

What To Wear To A Fish Market

Fish markets tend to be pretty wet and in Korean fish markets, the fish are kept living in tanks which means the water is constantly flowing into the tanks and then out through hoses on the ground. Great for the buyer because whether you visit at 7:00am or at 7:00pm, you’ll be getting fresh seafood. However, not so great for your nice shoes.

Also, if you don’t like the feeling of wet toes after walking through a market, you’ll probably want to wear something closed-toe. The newer market is more protected than other outdoor fish markets so luckily you don’t have to worry about the elements as much but do prepared for water.

Korean Vocabulary To Know At A Fish Market

So you’re looking to go to the market on your own and figure it out as you go. That’s cool, just make sure you know what you’re ordering. I still manage to get fish vocab confused and just let my husband handle the seafood ordering, but one of these days I’ll get it all to stick in my brain. Here is the Korean vocabulary to help you when you visit a Korean fish market whether you’re in Seoul, Busan, or anywhere in between.

Hweh, Hway, or Hoe (회) is the term for thinly sliced raw fish. It is served fresh on a platter. Unlike sashimi, the Korean version is usually dipped in a red sauce called chojang  (초장) and wrapped in different leaves either more salad like leaves, ssam (쌈), or sesame leaves, kketnip (깻잎). There will likely be some gim or laver on the table too. The most common fish for hweh options are salmon, tuna, rockfish, and flounder.

Shellfish & Other Common Finds

• Shrimp: 새우 (sae-ooh)
• Caviar/Roe: 알 (ahl)
• Flying Fish Roe: 나치알 (nal-chi ahl)
• Skate: 홍어 (hong-oh)
• Lobster: 바닷가재 (ba-dat-ga-jae)
• Crab: 게 (gae)
• Live Octopus: 산낙지 (san-nak-ji)
  • This is another popular one to have while you’re at a fish market in Korea. The octopus will not be given to you whole… well unless you ask for it that way however that’s extremely dangerous and really Koreans don’t eat it that way. After you buy it, the vendor will cut the tentacles up and when you get it they’ll still be moving though it’s dead and then you eat it.
• Scallops: 가리비 (gah-ri-bi)
• Oysters: 굴 (gool)
• Clams: 조개 (jo-gae)
• Penish Fish/Sea Worms: 개불 (gae-bul)
  • This isn’t one that you’ll probably find in other countries, but Koreans LOVE this and I have to say it’s really grown on me. It’s got a bit of a salty taste and once you see it, you’ll known why it has gotten the moniker “penis fish”. While my uncle in the States says American fishermen just throw these back, Korean fishermen saw it and were like, yeah cool, edible. It’s eaten raw and you’ll dip it in some salty sesame oil and it’s rather delightful.
• Sea Cucumbers: 해삼 (hae-sam)
  • This is another one I never ate much until I came to Korea but it’s often served WITH the penis fish above so if you get one, get the other. This one is much saltier than the penis fish so it’s usually dipped in the chojang, or sweeter red sauce, on the table.
• Abalone: 전복 (jeon-bok)

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Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market (노량진수산물도매시장)

Noryangjin Market is the largest marine products market in Seoul and is also the most popular with tourists due to that reason. Opened in 1927, it’s centrally located just south of Yeouido Island. The market was originally on Uiju-ro, a street near Seoul Station but was relocated to its current location in 1971.

Noryangjin Market handles 250 to 300 tons of marine products every single day. In the past few years it’s seen a pretty dramatic makeover from the older traditional Korean style of a market that was set up in 1971 into a new shiny bright white walled store. If you want to go to Noryangjin Market, make sure you’re prepared and check out this guide to Noryangjin Fish Market.

If I hadn’t lived in Korea for a decade, I’d probably look askew at the fish on the Styrofoam with wet down aisles that have fishy guts in the older market, so I get it if you don’t want to go there and wine and dine… er soju and dine as Koreans do.

If you want to catch the early morning auctioning and I mean super early morning, you need to get to the market at 1:00am which is when it begins. The real fun stuff doesn’t begin until 3:00am though so you can get a bit more zzzs if you need. At 3:00am the live fish auction begins. General retail prices are about 10% to 20% higher and the best way to know what to expect is to check their website.

What I would suggest on a visit to the market would be to check out the market and aisles of fish you could eat and then head upstairs to find the restaurants that are comfortable and can seat couples and groups. They’re also fairly used to foreigners coming in for an adventurous meal.

While they’re used to foreigners, that doesn’t mean people are piping up with English everywhere. They’re not. Ideally, you’ll want a local with you or someone that can speak a modicum of Korean pertaining to fish so as to know what you’re getting and to know you’re getting the good stuff.

I would recommend this if you plan to head to ANY of these fish markets. We’ve never gotten bad fish here or been taken for a ride, but I speak enough Korean to establish myself as a local foreigner and my husband is from Busan, so no one wants to mess with him. I highly recommend going on a tour to visit the market. A guide will be able to lead you through the fish lined aisles and will be able to order various dishes that are must eat.

Noryangjin Fish Market Guided Tours

• Noryangjin Fish Market Evening/Dinner Tour on Klook: Want to have a great dinner at Noryangjin Fish Market, join this awesome tour.
• Noryangjin Fish Market Walking Tour with Guide on kkday: Visit the Noryangjin Fish Market with a guide on Wednesdays through Sundays from 4:00pm to 6:00pm with this tour.
• Take a Korean Market Adventure with Chef Yie on Viator: Join an experienced Korean chef as you explore a vibrant fish market, hand-pick the freshest fish, and savor a delicious meal at a traditional restaurant within the market.

How To Get To Noryangjin Fish Market

• Address: 13-6 Noryangjin-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, Korea (서울특별시 동작구 노량진동 13-6)
• By Subway: Make sure to have the T-Money card topped off and hop onto the subway which is the easiest way to get to the market. Head to the Noryangjin Subway Station on the dark blue line and follow signs to the market. The exits of the station actually dump out onto the main street just out the east side of the station but the market is on the other side of the subway tracks. To get there, you’ll follow the signs to a walking bridge that goes over the train tracks to the market.
• What To See Nearby: Yeouido Han River Park & the 63 Building

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Mapo Agricultural & Marine Products Market (마포농수산물시장)

Located just across the street from World Cup Stadium and near the substantial World Cup Park, the seafood stalls are located in the front, fruit and vegetable vendors in the back, and upstairs are dine in restaurants that will prepare the fish to eat. The market is massive and in the past few years a lot has been done to the exterior to make it more inviting to visitors and tourists and not just the locals that knew it existed in the first place.

The fish vendors here sell everything you’d expect in a Korean fish market including abalone, prawns, salmon, octopus, squid and other white fish. There are king crab that can be steamed on site and fish that can be prepared into sashimi or cooked. You’re all but guaranteed a great price on anything you buy here too which is one reason its our go-to market.

This market is especially appealing location wise as it’s near the World Cup Park’s System and not far from the artsy Hongdae district as well as the foodie district known as Yeonnam and Mangwon District. Being in close proximity to some other great spots means it’s easy to get lunch or dinner and see more of the area.

While it’s relatively small compared to Noryangjin, the seafoody delights are on point and the vendors are friendly. Another option here would be to get sashimi sliced and diced to go and take it to the nearby Peace Park or Nanji Han River Park to picnic it up. Being across the street from World Cup Stadium, you could easily catch a game, and have a picnic before or after. You could really tack this on to so many itineraries.

How To Get To Mapo Fish Market

• Address: 533-1 Seongsan 2-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, Korea (서울특별시 마포구 성산2동 533-1)
• By Subway: Make sure to have the T-Money card topped off and hop onto the subway. Go to the World Cup Stadium Station on the brown line and take exit 1. You’ll walk through the parking lot of the stadium to the main road and just across at the crosswalk is the market with an easily visible sign.
• What To Visit Nearby: Seonyudo Island Park, Sky Park, Yeonnam-dong, The War & Women’s Human Rights Museum, Hongdae Art District, World Cup Park

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Garak Market (가락시장)

Garak Market is a wholesale market selling large portions of fruits and vegetables akin to portion sizes you’d find at Costco. Opened in 1985, this was the Costco before Costco came to Korea. Garak Market was the first wholesale agricultural products market in Korea. Encompassing seventeen buildings, it might take you a bit to figure out where to go. Be sure to look up and find the signs that are available in English.

If you’re visiting in the evening, just look for the lights because most of this campus closes up pretty early after the business vendors get all of their goods in bulk. Prices are cheaper here than at supermarkets and get cheaper the more you purchase. Most people shopping here will be local restaurant owners, but anyone can peruse the goods and get what they’d like. Like the other markets, they also have restaurants on the premises that will prepare fish purchased within.

Like the Noryangjin Fish Market, this market gets hopping good and early. Seafood that has been freshly caught and delivered is put up for auction at 2:00am and is up until 5:00am. If you’re in the area for lunch or dinner, head in and peruse the numerous stalls to find what you like. Once the fish has been chosen and sliced, the vendors will have told the restaurant staff to come and scoop you and the fish up to be shown to the proper area to dine.

Before you even have a chance to touch the bag of fish you’ve just purchased, one of the waitstaff will have it in their hands and will be leading you to a table. This market is immense so you might get a bit lost within, but the signage is easy enough to follow and really the hunt is half the fun. Check this market out if you’re on the east side of Seoul.

How To Get There

• Address: 600 Garak-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, Korea (서울특별시 송파구 가락동 600)
• By Subway: Make sure to have the T-Money card topped off and hop onto the subway. Go to Garak Market Subway Station on the pink and orange lines and take exit 1, 2 or 2-1. The market is gigantic and takes up that whole block. You can’t miss it.
• What To Visit Nearby: Lotte World Mall & Sky Observatory, Seokchon Lake and Olympic Park in Jamsil

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