I had some extra time on Sunday afternoon, and happened to be in the area of the Seoul Folk Flea Market. Located near the Sinseol-dong subway station on line 1, I had heard that this was the place to see some links to Korea’s past… stuff…

Your stereotypical ‘flea market’ probably doesn’t have a new – and nice – looking building as the site. Opened on April 26, 2008, it definitely seems designed for the tourists exploring Korea – although I only saw a couple during my time there.

The market was split up into several colorful sections: Red was the food court; Orange was local products; Yellow was Folk Arts; Green was Antique; on the second floor, Blue was fashion and clothes; Purple represented Miscellaneous goods and electronics. With 894 shops, there’s bound to be something for everyone. According to one article, this flea market has its origins in the Hwanghak-dong flea market (which I visited pretty recently), which explains how a building so new can have a bit of history even at its grand opening.

The food court was entirely Korean food, and most of the menus appeared to be entirely in Korean. Perhaps they pull out some special ‘ tourist-friendly’ menus if and when hungry tourists find their way to a table.

Used power tools, anyone? About half of the space seemed dedicated to booths selling used stuff, while the other half was dedicated to new stuff probably bought at wholesale prices.

Like garage sales, part of the interest was walking past random booths seeing the random things for sale. Imagine cleaning out your parents (or grandparents) house – this is the sort of stuff you’d find and try to put up for sale.

It’s important to note that very few booths had more than a handful of prices marked. While Koreans aren’t usually the type to rip someone off, it pays to negotiate prices.

On the wheelchair-accessible ramp connecting the first and second floors, there are trees… An odd sight. Also in the picture are some larger pieces of art or maps for sale.

Some areas were more organized than others, but the place was clean. Like most other places to shop around Seoul, the wholesale stuff was essentially the same priced, same quality things you’ll see across the country. The used, garage-sale-type stuff caught my eye, both because of the randomness and the amount.

I have no complaints about the market – have fun, bring your cash, and go early. I spent about two hours here and felt like I had seen it all – certainly not an all-day shopping experience like Myeong-dong or Namdaemun. Quite a few of the booths were closed by 6pm and most of the rest looked as though they were closing soon. Go if you have some spare time during a weekend afternoon, knowing you’ll have more than enough time to get to whatever your evening plans are.

To get to the Seoul Folk Flea Market, take the Seoul subway system to the Sinseol-dong station on line 1 or 2. Take exit 9, then immediately turn around. Turn left at the first street, then walk straight for 80 meters. Enter the building through any of the many entrances.