Tongin Market is a cozy alley market in Seochon, the neighborhood west of Gyeongbokgung Palace. It’s mostly side-dish shops and snack stalls serving locals, but one fun idea made it famous with visitors.
The coin lunchbox
At the market’s customer center you exchange money for a string of old-style brass coin tokens (yeopjeon) and an empty lunchbox tray. Then you walk from stall to stall, paying a coin or two for each dish you like — your own custom Korean lunch.
Gireum-tteokbokki
The market’s signature snack is oil tteokbokki: rice cakes stir-fried on a hot griddle rather than simmered in sauce, in either a soy-sauce or a red chili seasoning. Try both. It’s a short walk from Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3).