A Guide to Jeongseon Arirang Market on the 2nd and 7th, Walking to the Rhythm of the 1966 Market
Jeongseon Arirang Market is Jeongseon’s five-day market, opened on February 17, 1966, with market days on dates ending in 2 and 7, as well as every Saturday. This guide highlights a practical route for shopping for wild mountain greens, medicinal herbs, and Hwanggi, tasting gondre rice and buckwheat pancakes, and continuing on to Arari Park along the Cheoyang River.
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February 17, 1966, and the Year 1999 When the Mountain Market Became Busy Again
Jeongseon Arirang Market opened on February 17, 1966. The market’s main items were wild vegetables, medicinal herbs, potatoes, astragalus, deodeok, and garlic from the Jeongseon region, and the market structure, in which producers bring goods directly and sell retail, has remained its core character to this day.
While Jeongseon’s coal industry was thriving, the market was lively too, but it later fell into stagnation after the industry declined. The turning point came in 1999 with the operation of the Jeongseon Five-Day Market tourism train, which combined rail travel and the five-day market, bringing visitors from outside the area back again. In 2012, it was selected as one of Korea Tourism’s Stars.
- Opening date: February 17, 1966
- Start of tourism-train link: 1999
- Selection as Korea Tourism’s Star: 2012
How to Choose a Market Day in August 2026: the 2nd and 7th, and Saturdays
The regular five-day market is held on the 2nd, 7th, 12th, 17th, 22nd, and 27th of every month. In addition, a weekend market is held every Saturday, so in August 2026 you can plan your visit based on market days on the 2nd, 7th, 12th, 17th, 22nd, 27th, as well as the 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th.
The market building and some shops operate year-round, but the density unique to the five-day market is more apparent on the regular market dates. Days like the 22nd, when the five-day market and Saturday overlap, are dates on which two market-day conditions meet in a single visit.
- Regular market: the 2nd, 7th, 12th, 17th, 22nd, and 27th of every month
- Weekend market: every Saturday
- Market hours: 09:00~18:00
Between 09:00 and 18:00, Wild Vegetables, Astragalus, and a Market Meal
The official tourism guide lists the operating hours as 09:00~18:00 and admission is free. The market merchants’ association can be reached at 033-563-6200, and Jeongseon County’s tourism hotline 1544-9053 also provides tourism information. Since closing times vary slightly by shop, it is efficient to combine shopping and meals in a route that runs from the morning to around lunchtime.
Items to look for at the market include wild vegetables such as gondre and muknamul, medicinal specialties such as astragalus and deodeok, as well as potatoes and garlic. Meal items repeatedly introduced in Jeongseon tourism materials include gondre rice, memil jeonbyeong, susu bukkumi, and kotdeungchigi. Although the market is registered as accepting credit card payments, preparing some cash as well for small agricultural purchases gives you more options.
- Main purchase items: wild vegetables, medicinal herbs, astragalus, deodeok, potatoes
- Meal options: gondre rice, memil jeonbyeong, susu bukkumi, kotdeungchigi
- Admission fee: free
How to Read 163 Shops Starting from 40, 5iljang-gil
The visit location is 40, 5iljang-gil, Jeongseon-eup, Jeongseon-gun, Gangwon State, and the coordinates are 37.380588 north latitude and 128.664590 east longitude. Tourism materials also show other labels for the market area, such as 36, 5iljang-gil, 39, Bongyang 7-gil, and 1357-1, Jeongseon-ro, but for navigation you can enter “Jeongseon Arirang Market” or “40, 5iljang-gil, Jeongseon-eup.”
Information based on the public data for traditional markets records 163 shops, public restrooms, and a parking lot. On the east gate side there is the youth market Choearang Mall, where you can browse macarons, baked sweets, coffee, and Ungiseok crafts, which are different from the traditional agricultural produce stalls.
- Address: 40, 5iljang-gil, Jeongseon-eup, Jeongseon-gun, Gangwon State
- Number of shops: 163
- Facilities: public restrooms and parking lot available
15 Minutes from Jeongseon Station, 10 Minutes from the Bus Terminal, and the Route into the Joyang Riverbank
On foot, it takes about 10 minutes from Jeongseon Bus Terminal to the market, and about 15 minutes from Jeongseon Station. If you arrive by train, a simple route is to see the market first from Jeongseon Station and then head down toward the Joyang River. The Jeongseon Arirang Train A-train, introduced as the successor to the Jeongseon Five-Day Market tourism train, is a means of transport that itself shows the market’s connection with tourism rail travel.
For those coming by car, using the parking lot near Arari Park along the Joyang River is practical. From the Arari Park parking lot to the market takes about 5 minutes on foot, and on market days it is shorter to park along the riverbank and walk in rather than enter right in front of the market.
- Jeongseon Bus Terminal → market: about 10 minutes on foot
- Jeongseon Station → market: about 15 minutes on foot
- Arari Park parking lot → market: about 5 minutes on foot
A 2-Hour Route Linking the 10,643㎡ Arari Park and Choearang Mall
If you only want a quick look at the market, 60 to 90 minutes is enough; if you combine it with lunch and Arari Park, about 2 hours is appropriate. Arari Park along the Joyang River next to the market covers 10,643㎡ and includes 297 trees, 24,414 shrubs and flowers, walking paths, a raft rest area, tactile paving, and benches.
Arari Park is also one of the main stages of the Jeongseon Arirang Festival held every October. After buying wild vegetables or snacks at the market, connect the riverside walking path with the raft-themed rest area, then return to Choearang Mall on the east gate side to see Jeongseon-eup’s three layers of traditional market, park, and youth shops all at once.
- Market visit only: 60~90 minutes
- Market + meal + Arari Park: about 2 hours
- Arari Park area: 10,643㎡
Wheelchair Access and 1330 Interpretation: Key Points for First-Time Visitors
Jeongseon County’s tourism information lists wheelchair access, wheelchair viewing access, and a disabled-only restroom. The arcade passageway and market floor are generally flat, but on market days the passage can become narrower due to stalls and pedestrian crowds, so if you have a companion, it is better to move slowly from the outer edge of the market toward the inside.
Rental of baby products and bringing pets are listed as unavailable in Korea Tourism Organization data. When language support other than Korean is needed, the tourism interpretation hotline 1330 provides guidance in English, Japanese, and Chinese, and purchase inquiries to the market merchants’ association can be directed to 033-563-6200.
- Barrier-free information: wheelchair access and viewing available, disabled restroom provided
- Baby product rental: unavailable
- Tourism interpretation: 1330 Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese
Before You Go
- Address
- 40, 5iljang-gil, Jeongseon-eup, Jeongseon-gun, Gangwon State
- Hours
- 09:00~18:00 (varies by shop)
- Closed
- Year-round operation for the permanent market; regular five-day market on the 2nd, 7th, 12th, 17th, 22nd, and 27th of every month; weekend market every Saturday
- Admission
- Free
- Phone
- 033-563-6200 (Jeongseon Arirang Market Merchants’ Association) / 1544-9053 (Jeongseon County Tourism Information)
- Official site
- https://www.jeongseon.go.kr/tour/jeongseontour/attractions?contentSeq=254764&mode=read
- Transport
- About 10 minutes on foot from Jeongseon Bus Terminal, about 15 minutes on foot from Jeongseon Station
- Parking
- Arari Park Joyang River parking lot available, about 5 minutes on foot to the market
- Time needed
- 60~90 minutes for the market only; about 2 hours with a meal and Arari Park
- Accessibility
- Wheelchair access and wheelchair boarding viewing available, disabled-only restroom provided; tourism hotline 1330 provides guidance in English, Japanese, and Chinese
The information above is based on the time of writing. Please check the official information again before visiting.
Places
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Arirang MuseumA museum that exhibits and provides educational programs on the history and materials related to Arirang.
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