A Timetable for Exploring the 800 Shops of Jeonju Nambu Market by Pungnammun Gate

From the Market Outside Jeonju Fortress to the Permanent Market of 1905

Jeonju Nambu Market originated from a market that formed outside Jeonju Fortress during the Joseon period. Markets around Pungnammun, the southern gate—the only one of Jeonju’s four main gates that remains—came together to form today’s market, which opened as a permanent market in 1905.

Pungnammun is Treasure No. 308 and was rebuilt after being destroyed by fire in 1767, the 43rd year of King Yeongjo’s reign. The market is also introduced as the birthplace of the March 1st Movement in the Jeonju area. Through the Global Premium Market Development Project in 2015, it pursued a transformation into a tourism-oriented market.

How to Survey 800 Shops in One Hour

The Korea Tourism Organization describes Nambu Market as consisting of approximately 800 shops and 1,200 workers. Data from the Small Business and Market Promotion Corporation lists 320 shops as of November 4, 2024, so the figure varies depending on the scope of the count.

The products sold range widely, from vegetables, fruit, food, dried seafood, furniture, and silk products to agricultural products, livestock products, seafood, processed foods, clothing, shoes, household goods, and restaurants. Based on review materials, it takes about one hour to look around the entire market for the first time. Rather than lingering in one area, it is more efficient to divide your visit between the food section and the Youth Mall on the second floor of Building 6.

From 09:30 to 23:00, with Different Hours by Shop

According to Korea Tourism Organization information, Nambu Market’s operating hours are 09:30–23:00, though they vary by shop. Jeonbuk tourism information also lists the hours as 09:30–22:00 daily, so the market should not be assumed to open and close entirely at one fixed time.

Closing days also vary by shop. There is no admission fee to the market, but individual restaurants and shops may have different operating statuses. If you have a specific store in mind, you can check with the main telephone number, 063-284-1344, or the official blog at http://blog.naver.com/jjnambumarket.

Night Market from 17:00 to 24:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, and the 4 a.m. Goblin Market

Nambu Market’s night market opens on Fridays and Saturdays. According to official Jeonju tourism information, it operates every Friday and Saturday from 17:00 to 24:00. Along with traditional foods such as mung-bean pancakes, you can also find bibimbap rolls, in which bibimbap is rolled in rice paper like a spring roll.

By contrast, the market’s early-morning scene is the Goblin Market around Ssaejeondari and the Jeonjucheon Stream. Street vendors set up briefly from 4 a.m. until around 10 a.m., selling homegrown vegetables and fruit or ingredients brought from wholesale markets. For nighttime food, visit after 17:00 on Friday or Saturday; to see the early distribution of a traditional market, arrive before 10 a.m.

From Toureom Bean Sprout Soup with Rice to Blood Sausage

The key feature of Nambu Market–style bean sprout soup with rice is toureom. Rice and boiled bean sprouts are cooled to the appropriate temperature, then dipped several times into hot broth made by boiling ingredients such as anchovies and kelp, warming the broth and rice together.

Soft-boiled eggs are introduced as something to eat plain with sesame oil or mixed into the soup with rice along with roasted seaweed. Moju, a hangover remedy liquor brewed with medicinal herbs, is also mentioned alongside bean sprout soup with rice. Blood sausage is made by filling pork intestines with pork blood rather than glass noodles, and can be served with chives, known as “sol,” and vinegared red pepper paste.

Hanguk Chicken House at 63 Pungnammun 2-gil and Market-Style Takeout

Hanguk Chicken House is listed at 63 Pungnammun 2-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju. The shop is open daily from 08:00 to 21:00, and its telephone number is 063-231-1722. Since these hours differ from the market’s overall hours of 09:30–23:00, plan according to Hanguk Chicken House’s schedule if you want to eat chicken early or order it for takeout.

Hanguk Chicken House uses 100% domestic chicken, with fried chicken, dakgangjeong, boneless chicken feet, and fried chicken gizzards listed as signature dishes. Nambu Market also has many shops selling seaweed roasted and sold on the spot. Review information indicates that some shops accept cash only, so it is safest to carry a small amount of cash.

Youth Mall on the Second Floor of Building 6 and Jeonjucheon Sky Garden

The Youth Mall was created by making use of vacant shops on the second floor of Building 6 at Nambu Market. It can be reached via the elevator inside the market and a connecting bridge, making it a floor that visitors who walk only along the ground-level passages may easily miss.

Global Park Sky Garden is Nambu Market’s rooftop garden overlooking the Jeonjucheon Stream. It hosts the visible radio broadcasts of Star Cafe Radio, which operates weekly, as well as merchant club practices and cooking classes. A step-free main pedestrian route, an accessible elevator and restroom, wheelchair-accessible cafés, and accessible parking are listed, but information about stroller facilities or rentals could not be confirmed.

A Three-Minute Walk from Hanok Village, with Four Parking Options

Nambu Market is separated from Jeonju Hanok Village by just one street. Jeonbuk tourism information says that Pungnammun and Nambu Market are less than a three-minute walk from Hanok Village. Addresses vary by institution: public tourism information gives 19-3 Pungnammun 1-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeonbuk State, while the address confirmed on site is 63 Pungnammun 2-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju-si, Jeonbuk State.

The listed parking facilities are Nambu Streamside Parking Lot, Nambu Paid Parking Lot, Pungnammun Shopping Street Customer Parking Lot, and Nambu Parking Lot. One hour of free parking is offered when using the market, while separate materials state that the Nambu Market public parking lot has space for 80 vehicles and the Nambu Streamside Parking Lot for 440 vehicles. Since parking fee information in both sources may change over time, visitors arriving by car should obtain the parking ticket required for the free-period application.

• Nambu Market main telephone: 063-284-1344
• Market admission fee: None
• Public transportation: Listed as within a three-minute walk of Hanok Village; bus route numbers, stops, and exit numbers could not be confirmed