K-Food

Gwangjang Market Food Stalls 2026: Prices Vary, Ask First — the ₩8,000 Sundae Sold for ₩10,000

Kim Taechoul, ReporterPublished 2026-10-31 KST

✓ Verified 2026-10-31 · against official sourcesOriginal source ↗A daily paper for first-time visitors to Korea · every morning · Korean · English · Japanese · Chinese · Vietnamese · Indonesian

Photo: Gwangjang Market's 365-day night food street · Korea Tourism Organization (KOGL Type 1)

Bottom line: When you order street food at Gwangjang Market's food alley, ask the price before you order, and pick a stall with a visible price list or card payment. Skip the "how much" question and you might get overcharged.

If you didn't know: In November 2025, a street stall sold 8,000-won sundae (Korean blood sausage) for 10,000 won; a viral video exposed it and the stall got a 10-day business suspension. Order without asking and you could pay 2,000 won (25%) more than the going rate. Jongno District Office has since introduced a "street-vendor real-name system": vendors caught overcharging, forcing cash-only payment, or reusing food face suspensions and penalty points, and four or more violations in a year — or over 120 penalty points — means permanent expulsion from the market.

At a glance

Food alley address — 88 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul (Jongno 5-ga Station Exit 8) · Food alley hours — 09:00-23:00, open year-round · Main market hours — 09:00-18:00, closed Sundays · Signature dishes — bindaetteok (mung bean pancake), mayak gimbap, yukhoe, sundae, jokbal · Street-vendor real-name system enforced by Jongno District Office · Inquiries: 1330 Korea Travel Hotline.

How we checked this

In November 2025, a video of a YouTuber being charged 10,000 won for an 8,000-won sundae at a Gwangjang Market stall drew over 10 million views; the merchants' association investigated and suspended the stall for 10 days. Jongno District Office subsequently announced a "street-vendor real-name system" imposing suspensions and penalty points on vendors caught overcharging, forcing cash payment, or reusing food, with permanent expulsion after four or more violations in a year or over 120 penalty points. Food alley hours and address were cross-checked against a Seoul city media hub feature. The 120-penalty-point and four-violation threshold for the real-name system was confirmed on a Herald Economy report page dated 2026-05-23, checked 2026-10-31.

Journey stage: During the trip · Verified 2026-10-31

Source · how this was written — Written by the Korea Tourism Times editorial desk · Original sourceone source — not cross-checked

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Gwangjang Market Food Stalls 2026: Prices Vary, Ask First — the ₩8,000 Sundae Sold for ₩10,000

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