Contents
- 0.1 Yesan market, traditional market meets Baekjongwon
- 0.2 Main Market Square of Chungnam yesan Market
- 0.3 A look inside the yesan marketplace
- 0.4 Sinyang fries for snacking
- 0.5 Traditional Liquor Market Baeksul Sanghoe
- 0.6 Isinbok Kwabagi
- 0.7 Yesan market Yester Kalguksu
- 0.8 Shops around the Yesan market
- 0.9 Paradise Yakgwa
- 0.10 Yesan traditional noodle, noodles are best
- 1 A look at the Yesan market
Yesan market, traditional market meets Baekjongwon
Sometimes you end up on a trip you didn’t plan, and that was the case with our last trip to seosan, Taean. We only booked one accommodation and didn’t have any other plans. On the way, we decided that if there was something interesting in the neighborhood, we’d check it out on a whim. It was the same with the yesan market in Chungnam;
On the way down Seosan, I thought, “What comes to mind when I think of Seosan?” and suddenly Maae Samjon Buddha came to mind, so I visited it, and there was a valley, so I played for a while. After checking into the hostel, I wanted to see the falling tide, so I suddenly went to Gijipo Beach. The next day, I wanted to go to the tidal flats, so I went to Monsanpo Beach, and on the way back to Seoul, I saw a yesan market on the sign, so I went to the yesan market;
I had heard that the wait is long on weekends without a single seat, but I was curious about the space that Jongwon Paek touched, and most of all, I was curious about the city of yesan, which I had never been to before.
Yesan Market was created in 1981 and has a history of about 40 years. It is not a very large market, so it has been in a state of decline as the population of Yesan has decreased, but with the development of Yesan Market through Mr. Baek Jong-won’s hometown revitalization project, Yesan Market is being transformed into a city with many tourists.
The Yesan Market Revitalization Project, which started in 2018, didn’t make much of a splash at first, but when the actual market project was unveiled, it made a big splash in the public eye. The people behind the project probably didn’t expect that a small city like Yesan would attract so many tourists, and many local governments are now scrambling to copy Yesan and bring Baek Jong-won home.
Main Market Square of Chungnam yesan Market
Yesan Market is also now home to many famous restaurants that have been exposed to the media. Just in the main square, there are many places that have been featured on famous blogs, such as Yeondon and Sinkwang Butcher Shop.
It is centered around a spacious market square with 26 restaurants and shops inside. The variety of menus and unique interiors blend in with the old, dilapidated buildings to create a unique feel. Due to the covered nature of the space, there isn’t a lot of light, but the shops use a lot of daylight colors, which makes the photos look atmospheric.
In our travels, we often see popular traditional markets in big cities, but this is the first time we’ve seen a place that’s centered around food and has large open stalls, so it’s very refreshing. Someone described it as a Southeast Asian night market, and I think it has a bit of that classic feel. We tend to think of markets as places where you go to buy food and then come home and eat it, so you don’t see these big stalls.
There are different ways to get a table, and it’s not always easy to get a seat at a table. You have to sign in at the reception area, receive a Kakao Talk notification, and order food only when you’re assigned a table. I thought Korean IT was working hard to organize a large number of people in a large space. (If there are no people, they put a sticker on your hand).
The most famous one in the square is Sinkwang Butcher Shop, where you sit down and order the meat you want. You only buy the meat you want at Sinkwang Meat Shop, and you have to order the grill and tableware for the number of people at the ‘grill rental house’. There are a lot of people who use the bulpan here.
A look inside the yesan marketplace
The market is a mix of old and new. It’s constantly changing, so many stores are still under construction, while others have the same font and feel. When I look at the signs of places like the Rotary Club or the Wallpaper Association, it reminds me of my childhood and makes me feel nostalgic.
Sinyang fries for snacking
This is Shinyang fried chicken (Dadong 1F 7,8)I had it for a quick snack. We bought some light snacks, and I think the shinyang fried chicken was pretty good.
They don’t have many types of fried food, but only one type of fried meat, Xinyang meat. The texture is like a seaweed roll, but it contains meat and vegetables like dumplings, making it a filling snack. It also comes with a sauce, so I drizzled some on and ate it while soaking.
The inside is full of meat and the liver is just right. The combination of meat and tempura is always right. The tempura itself is also thick, so even a few pieces will fill you up. The price is 2000 won for a set of 3.
Traditional Liquor Market Baeksul Sanghoe
Baeksul Sanghoe is located in Dadong 6~8 in the market.
It is a traditional liquor market and is one of the places you shouldn’t miss when you find a yesan market. The main product is the alley-corner liquor made by Mr. Park Yoo-duk, who received Baekjongwon Solution from Daejeon Youth Mall, and there is a budget brewery here, and they also have a market within the market and sell it.
Baeksul Sanghoe is a Korean traditional liquor bottle shop that sells specialty liquors from all over the country. The alley-roosters with breweries are the most popular. Both unsweetened premium makgeolli and regular makgeolli are famous… On this day, we went late and the regular makgeolli was sold out. We considered buying the premium, but decided against it this time (we had plenty of alcohol in the house).
Isinbok Kwabagi
This is Isinbok Kwabagi, which is not special, but the advantage is that you can make it right in the market and eat it right away.
It was a yesan market, so there were a lot of people of all ages, and there was quite a bit of waiting. The warm kwabagi was sweet and savory, so we packed it up and ate it as a snack on the way back to Seoul.
Yesan market Yester Kalguksu
We were unsure of where to eat, so we went to Yester Kalguksu in the main market square. There were quite a few popular places, but after walking around, we didn’t want to wait in line, so we chose a place with inside seating. Mara Kalguksu is popular, but we weren’t in the mood for Mara that day, so we just ordered cold Kalguksu and regular clam Kalguksu.
To be honest, it wasn’t as flavorful as I expected. If I had ordered the signature marakal noodles, it might have been a little different, but it didn’t have too much depth to my taste and I was expecting the texture of the noodles.
The main noodle soup was below average, so I wondered if there was a need to try the marakal noodle soup. There may be different styles of noodle soup in different regions, and each person’s preference may vary, but it’s a shame that this restaurant is located in a tourist area with a lot of people visiting, and it would be better to have an old noodle shop in the parking lot.
Shops around the Yesan market
There are many famous restaurants inside the yesan market, but now there are also cafes, dessert shops, and other interesting places around the market.
This is a cafe made from the old building. It’s a cafe and a bakery together, but it looks neat and sentimental. It’s a good place to visit if your legs are sore from walking around the yesan market or if you want to take a break. And at the bottom of this building, there is an appleshop that is popular on Instagram.
Apple pie is very popular here, especially on Instagram. My parents grow apples in their orchard, so I’m always thinking about items that utilize apples, and I thought it was interesting, so I decided to visit and I got the chance.
From the original apple pie, there are vanilla, scone, and milk cream apple pies, but the scone pie and milk cream were sold out, so we could only taste the vanilla and original. I didn’t have a big appetite, so I was satisfied enough to buy one and taste it. When I looked around, I saw many people buying a lot of them, up to 12 pieces per person.
Paradise Yakgwa
Paradise yakgwa is also famous for its apple yakgwa. However, when I went there, the sold out sign was clear. Maybe it was because we visited late on Sunday. It is located at the end of the market square, but it is not easy to taste the yakgwa because the yakgwa is so popular that the word “yakgwa marketing” has come out these days. It is recommended to note that even if the business hours are until 17:00, it is often sold out early.
This place is famous for its layered pastry, and I was curious to see that it was served with apples, a yesan specialty. My wife went in and asked again, but it was sold out.
Yesan traditional noodle, noodles are best
There is Yesan Traditional Noodle Collection right next to the yakgwa store. It is said that this is a 70-year-old noodle factory noodle. Yesan is also famous for its noodles, and I heard that there are many places with a history of over 60 years while walking around the market. I was curious to see the noodles spread and dried, so I went in with my son. My wife also said that the noodles looked good, so I went in and asked, and bought a handful of noodles.
이렇게 면을 직접 말려서 판매하고 있습니다. 서울에는 이렇게 면 건조하는 곳이 진짜 드물죠. 예전에 신흥시장에서 이런 면장인을 한 분 만난적이 있는데 전통적인 방식으로 면을 만드는 것에 대한 자부심이 대단했던 걸로 기억합니다. 면부심!
In addition to this, there are actually many interesting places around the market. However, there should be a synergy between the newly entered and established places. The people sitting on the stalls in the corner of the market look very uninspiring… It’s a trickle-down effect… I realized once again that it is not easy for the growth of the market to benefit all the vendors.
A look at the Yesan market
It’s definitely an interesting, well-crafted market. It has enough power to make the whole region buzz, and the market vendors who are sticking to the concept are amazing. Little by little, the shopping area is expanding, and there are cafes and other places to spend time in the hinterland, which can be seen as a positive thing.
However, there are shops that are burning down. Shops that are being remodeled. Looking at the old ladies selling herbs at the stalls, I felt like I could smell the uncomfortable smell of gentrification. There are also stories of shops that have changed from the beginning, and I recently heard that only the building owners are making money. There is bound to be discomfort where money flows, but I think there is also a point to think about.
I’m excited to hear that many local governments, starting with yesan, are reviving local markets that are disappearing, because it’s really fun to go around the market when I go to different areas. I hope Yesan can be a good study for the shortcomings and disappointments of this model.
If I’m going to be near Yesan, it’s a place I’d like to visit at least once and keep an eye on the changes.
