Gwangjang Market 2026: Cash Tips, 5,000-Won Minimum Orders, Card-Refusal Trap

Bottom line: When you head to the food alley at Gwangjang Market, bring plenty of cash rather than relying on a card. Many stalls don't accept card payment and instead ask for a bank transfer, and some require a minimum order of at least 5,000 won per person just to sit down.

If you didn't know: Show up with only a card and get turned down, and you'll waste time hunting for a nearby ATM. If a stall insists on a bank transfer instead, a foreign traveler without a Korean bank account has no way to pay at all, on the spot. Try to order just one or two small items without knowing the minimum-order rule, and you may get turned away from a seat or an annoyed look. In November 2025, a pricing controversy over a plate of sundae (Korean blood sausage) blew up, and the stall involved was handed a 10-day business suspension.

Step into the market and the smell of frying bindaetteok (mung bean pancakes) and the sizzle of hot oil fill the whole alley. Vendors call out over each other, and mixed in among them are stalls with no price list posted at all. Get in the habit of asking the price before you order, and double-check especially when there's no menu board to read. Jongno-gu is tightening enforcement by registering vendors under their real names and requiring posted prices, but the rollout hasn't reached every stall yet, so the market is still in a transition period. Carrying cash broken into several 10,000-won bills gives you the option to simply walk to another stall if one insists on a bank transfer.

Journey stage: During the trip · Verified 2026-10-28