Before Pohang was a steel town, it was a fishing town. Its proximity to the fishing grounds of the East Sea makes it a perfect harbor for grizzled fishermen and their bounties. A huge variety of fish and shellfish are found in these waters, including the Pacific herring used to make gwamegi — a Pohang specialty. All of these can be found in Pohang’s Jukdo Market (죽도 시장) — one of the largest seafood markets in Gyeongsangbuk-do.
Somehow I’ve lived here for three years and never done a post dedicated to the market. It’s a fascinating, crazy place, but it’s also almost always packed with people — not an ideal place for claustrophobes. As for me, I prefer being able to wander slowly without the fear of having an 80-year-old elbow shoved into my kidneys while I’m being jostled from all sides. But crowds aside, it’s an awesome spot to explore and one every visitor to Pohang should experience.
Located near downtown Pohang, Jukdo Market started out as a small market run by the local fishermen. As Pohang has grown, so has Jukdo, and the market now has hundreds of stalls and shops selling not only seafood but furniture, clothing, bedding, etc… Shops closest to the main road are mostly household items and clothing while venturing closer to the canal leads to the tanks and tables of the fishermen.
Gwamegi (pictured above) is a must-try at Jukdo, but there are a number of other seafood dishes as well. For the intrepid travelers among you, consider trying sannakji (산낙지) — a dish made famous outside of Korea by the Korean cult classic Oldboy. Sannakji is octopus that’s so fresh it still wriggles as you chew it. Once purchased, ask the seller which restaurant you should visit in order to eat your lively meal. For a small price, you can get an assortment of dips and vegetables to accompany the sannakji. Check out this video from my first time trying the dish a few years ago…
New catches are brought in on a regular basis, though morning tends to be the best time to explore. Here you can see just about every stage of the fishing trade, from when the fish are off-loaded to when they’re eaten in the shops behind the stalls. Take the time to watch people go about picking which animal they’ll use for their meal — the process can be surprisingly intense. The fish sellers are friendly and will probably be very entertained if you use the opportunity to practice some Korean.
For a real Korean market experience, find the food vendors in the heart of the market and try some kalsujebi (칼수제비). Consisting of fresh noodles, chunks of boiled dough, and veggies in a warm broth, it’s a quick and cheap comfort food perfect for cold winter days. And at a price of only 3,500원, it’s an absolute bargain.
Be sure to explore the small alleys in the market, as a number of cool little shops can be found selling anything from hanboks to furniture.
A hidden jewel is Jukdo Sonyeon (죽도소년), a small cafe run by Heejun Kim. He’s an absolute legend and has created two of my favorite cafes in the world: Cafe 1944 and Jukdo Sonyeon. No matter how long I’m away, he always remembers me by name when I go back, which is one of the reasons I always stop by when I’m in town. The fantastic coffee is just an added bonus!
Have you ever been to a seafood market in South Korea? What did you think? If not, what would you like to try at Jukdo Market if you make it here someday? Let me know in the comments below!
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Haven’t made it to Pohang yet but definitely going to make plans now especially with all that great seafood waiting for me 🙂
It’s awesome here! Come hungry 😉
What a charming market! I never made it to the famous Busan fish market because honestly, I could do without the smell of the fish (even though I love me some fish!) but reading this post made me nostalgic of the things I didn’t get to do while in Korea :/ Oh well, maybe in another lifetime! Really cool you got around to writing about Jukdo. Also, such a cool fact that Pohang is now a steel town. Didn’t know that.
I guess you just have to go back to Korea 🙂
What a great post about the market in Pohang! You provided some really good ideas of what to do and eat there! So helpful for people visiting the market! I have been to the Pohang market and markets in Ulsan and Andong and of course Seoul! I love visiting them and looking at all the sea creatures moving around! I’ll definitely have to go back to the Pohang market and try the soup you mentioned and hit up the beautiful coffee place!
Let me know if you do! And say hi to Heejun for me if you go 🙂
“…the fear of having an 80-year-old elbow shoved into my kidneys” Haha, the fear is real here!
I haven’t been to Pohang yet but your posts about the city are making me want to pay a visit! Especially so I can swing by Jukdo Sonyeon and Cafe 1944. Good coffee is enough to make me cross oceans. I also need to just buckle down and eat some sannakji, so a trip down south would be a great excuse haha
Do it! Coffee is my lifeline and the one thing that I’ll always work in to my budget, haha. It is the fuel that keeps me going.
I’ve never been to Pohang. Kudos for making a blog about Jukdo Market! Some bloggers often neglect to write something about these markets. I wish I have written about Suyu Market (the place near my house). Anyway, Sannakji is a must try for foreigners! Eating it is one of my most memorable experiences in Korea.
Haha me too! Who could forget an experience like that!
We used to love visiting fish markets in Korea too – there is so much going on and interesting things to see. We never made it to Pohang though, will have to add this to our list! I think the bigger markets in Seoul tend to rip foreigners off a bit so always better to explore the smaller ones.
Yeah, I’ve only had good experiences at Jukdo, which is nice. Pohang’s not a touristy city at all, so you don’t see much of the taking advantage of tourists.
I haven’t been to Pohang. I’ve been to Busan’s Jagalchi and Seoul’s Noryangjin. But I a m sure each seafood market has its own charm, something different from the others.
It does! We’re pretty lucky to have it in Pohang 🙂
I made a few friends who lived in Pohang and they absolutely loved it. It’s a bit off the big city track for me, but the quaint country life does have its appeal. I tried sannakji years ago in Busan but it never did anything for me. I found it kind of bland aside from the sauce. Chewy and bland!
Yeah, Pohang’s a great place to be based! It’s got everything you need, but perfect for those of us who don’t want to live in a big city. I wouldn’t call it quaint here (it’s a big, industrial ‘town’ with nearly 600,000 people), but it is definitely a slower pace than Seoul 😉
Thanks for reading, Brian!
I still have never tried sannakji, and pretty sure I never will. Eww. 😉 We’ve visited Jagalchi in Busan and Noryangjin in Seoul…always a fun experience! I’ll def keep those cafes in mind if we visit Pohang – they sound divine!
Yeah, sannakji definitely isn’t for everyone, but definitely check out Sonyeon if you get the chance 🙂
This market looks very fine just to explore this city. Thanks for sharing this post.
This seems a very nice market in Pohang, I haven’t had a visit to this market but it looks that you had a great time there. Thanks for sharing this post.
Yeah, it’s great! Definitely a must-see if you’re in Pohang 😉
I love Jukdo Market. I’ve not found Jukdo Sonyeon, though. Is it right in the market?
Yes! Pretty close to the gated parking area and in one of the smaller alleys.