From Yankee Market to Romantic Market: A 90-Minute Reading of Chuncheon’s Old Downtown Alleys
Chuncheon Romantic Market is a permanent market officially registered as Chuncheon Jungang Market. Reestablished in 1952 after the Korean War, the market became an old downtown neighborhood where murals, sculptures, and long-established everyday shops coexist after a 2010 marketing campaign under the name “Romantic Market.”
From a Market Around 1952 to the “Romantic” Signboard in 2010
Chuncheon Romantic Market is a permanent market registered administratively as Chuncheon Jungang Market. The Chuncheon City Economic Portal records its opening date as August 16, 1960, while materials from the Korea Tourism Organization explain that a market that had existed since the Japanese colonial period disappeared during the Korean War and began operating again in 1952.
The nickname “Yankee Market” came from memories of selling U.S. military supplies and imported goods after the war. In 1960, the merchants established Chuncheon Jungang Market Co., Ltd. and expanded the shops. After a market revitalization project in 2002 and its selection as a Culture and Tourism Market in 2010, the name “Romantic Market” was promoted prominently.
- Official registered name: Chuncheon Jungang Market
- Market type: Permanent market · Registered market
- Official opening date: August 16, 1960
- Start of Romantic Market marketing: 2010
From Jungang-ro 81-4 to Myeongdong-gil 34: Why the Addresses Differ
The coordinates for the destination are Jungang-ro 81-4, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, 37.878034·127.725589. However, because the market is an alley-style commercial district, different information sources list different market entrances or management addresses. Chuncheon City gives the area around Jungang-ro 77beon-gil, the traditional market guide lists Myeongdong-gil 34, and the customer lounge is listed at Jungang-ro 77beon-gil 15.
For first-time visitors, it is safest to set “Chuncheon Jungang Market” or “Chuncheon Romantic Market” as the destination on a map and get off at Jungang Market Bus Stop. According to the Byeolbyeol Market guide, the market is about a two-minute walk from the bus stop, and the market connects directly to Myeongdong, making it easy to walk through the Dakgalbi Alley as well.
- Coordinate-based address: Jungang-ro 81-4, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province
- Tourist information address: Myeongdong-gil 34, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province
- City Hall-registered location: Area around Jungang-ro 77beon-gil
- Bus: Get off at Jungang Market Bus Stop, then walk about 2 minutes
A Market with Shop-by-Shop Hours, Not Simply “09:00–18:00”
Romantic Market is not a facility with a single admission ticket but a permanent market operated by individual shops. Tourist information describes the hours as “operated differently by shop,” and days off are also “different by shop.” Chuncheon City likewise describes regular holidays as “individual days off each month.” Therefore, no single opening period of 09:00–18:00 applying to the entire market has been confirmed.
Admission is free, and no reservation is required. The management and inquiry phone number is 033-254-2558. If you are planning to look around the market, visit in the morning or early afternoon and first check the grocery and clothing shops that are open. If you are visiting to eat, it is better to separately confirm whether your preferred shop is open that day and its closing time.
- Market-wide operating hours: Vary by shop
- Days off: Vary by shop · Individual days off each month
- Admission: Free
- Reservation: Not required
- Inquiries: 033-254-2558
- Official tourism portal: https://tour.chuncheon.go.kr
Noodles and Savory Pancakes Among Hanbok, Shoes, and Agricultural and Livestock Products: The Market’s Actual Mix
According to Chuncheon City, the items handled at Jungang Market include agricultural and livestock products, clothing, hanbok, shoes, and bags. The Byeolbyeol Market guide also lists sundae-guk, savory pancakes, pyeonyuk, rice noodles, and gopchang as representative foods, making it distinctive that the character of a shopping market and a restaurant alley overlap in one space.
Restaurants inside the market, such as Nangman Guksi, have their own individual operating hours. For example, older information introduced Nangman Guksi as open from 09:30 to 18:00 and closed on Saturdays and Sundays, but this was not information for the entire market and may have changed, so its current operating status should be checked. Rather than choosing one restaurant in advance, it is more practical to walk around the market once and select a shop that is open that day.
- Main products: Agricultural and livestock products · Clothing · Hanbok · Shoes · Bags
- Listed foods: Sundae-guk · Savory pancakes · Pyeonyuk · Rice noodles · Gopchang
- Cards and other payment methods may vary by shop
- Recommended stay: 60–90 minutes for the market alone, 2 hours including a meal
Choosing the Customer Lounge on Jungang-ro 77beon-gil and Paid Public Parking
The market guide lists restrooms, a customer information center, and a customer lounge as available facilities. The traditional market customer lounge is listed at 15 Jungang-ro 77beon-gil, on the third floor. Because official materials do not confirm wheelchair or stroller routes or the availability of regular foreign-language assistance, visitors using mobility aids should call 033-254-2558 before arrival to ask about entrance and restroom access.
Parking is available, with visitors directed to use public parking lots near the market. Since the availability of free parking varies by restaurant, confirm it before placing an order. Rather than driving into a narrow alley to reach the destination, park at a public lot and walk in so you can keep the market–Myeongdong route connected.
- Parking: Nearby paid public parking available
- Facilities: Restrooms · Customer information center · Customer lounge
- Customer lounge: 15 Jungang-ro 77beon-gil, 3rd floor
- Accessibility and regular foreign-language assistance: No official confirmation available
Two Hours at Jungang Market Combined with a Walk Through Myeongdong Dakgalbi Alley
Romantic Market is connected to Myeongdong in central Chuncheon. The Chuncheon City Economic Portal explains that City Hall and Myeongdong are connected around the market, and Byeolbyeol Market also lists Myeongdong Dakgalbi Alley as a nearby tourist attraction. From a route-planning perspective, it is natural to eat dakgalbi first and then browse everyday market foods such as side dishes, savory pancakes, and noodles.
Donghwa-style murals and sculptures remain inside the market. The Korea Tourism Organization introduces a hanbok shop more than 50 years old, a mural above a chicken shop sign, a ceiling installation called “The Angler Fishing for Memories,” and a miniature-car sculpture riding along electrical wires. Rather than simply taking photos and leaving, look for the market’s old shops and sculptures as well to see traces left by the Culture and Tourism Market project that began after 2010.
- Myeongdong Dakgalbi Alley: Adjacent to the market
- Market walk: 60–90 minutes recommended
- Combined meal route: About 2 hours recommended
- Points of interest: Murals · Ceiling sculptures · Signboards of old hanbok shops
Who Romantic Market Suits—and Who It Does Not
This place is different from a large tourist facility where visitors can expect scheduled performances or uniform opening hours. It suits travelers who want to see old clothing, hanbok, and everyday shops; food ingredients and market restaurants; and traces of the Culture and Tourism Market concept of the 2010s all at once. In 2013, the Korea Tourism Organization selected it as a tourist market for attracting international visitors, and tourism connections using multilingual promotional materials and shop maps were pursued.
Conversely, it may not suit visitors who choose only one particular restaurant and arrive late, or who expect every shop to open at the same time. Because there are no single market-wide operating hours and shops take individual days off each month, calling ahead is important when your meal or shopping target is specific. Since admission to the entire market is free, it is easy to allow about an extra hour in your schedule and combine it with a walk through Myeongdong.
- Best suited for: Old downtown walks · Market meals · Exploring everyday shops
- Schedules requiring caution: Visiting a single shop late in the evening
- Admission: Free
- Market inquiries: 033-254-2558
Before You Go
- Address
- Jungang-ro 81-4, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province
- Hours
- Vary by shop
- Closed
- Vary by shop (Chuncheon City guide: individual days off each month)
- Admission
- Free
- Phone
- 033-254-2558
- Official site
- https://tour.chuncheon.go.kr
- Transport
- Get off at Jungang Market Bus Stop, then walk about 2 minutes
- Parking
- Nearby paid public parking available
- Time needed
- 60–90 minutes for a market walk, about 2 hours including a meal
- Accessibility
- Restrooms, customer information center, and customer lounge are listed. No official confirmation is available regarding wheelchairs, strollers, or regular foreign-language assistance.
The information above is current as of the time of writing. Check the official information again before visiting.
Places
Nearby Attractions 4
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1
Soyanggang SkywalkWalk across a transparent glass floor while enjoying views of the Soyanggang River. -
2
Soyanggang Maiden StatueSee the sculpture symbolizing the Soyang River and enjoy the riverside scenery. -
3
Chuncheon Sairo 248 Suspension BridgeCross the suspension bridge while enjoying views of Uiam Lake and the cityscape. -
4
Food & Dining 2
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5
Chuncheon Sarang DakgalbiA restaurant serving Chuncheon-style spicy stir-fried chicken and makguksu. -
6
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