Nambu Market grew out of the old marketplace just outside the south gate of Jeonju's fortress wall and has served the city ever since. By the 2000s, its second-floor storefronts were emptying out one by one. In October 2011, the city of Jeonju tried something new: filling those empty shops with young entrepreneurs. The result, opened under the punning name "Real New Town" (a play on "real" and "saemaul," or "new village," referencing the older market's original branding), became Korea's first-ever "youth mall." The model spread quickly to traditional markets nationwide, was held up by the national government as a model case for revitalizing traditional markets, and by 2016, "youth malls" bearing that same name were popping up across the country.
Ending the story there would only tell half of it. According to reporting by the Kyunghyang Shinmun, 17 of the 32 storefronts at the original Nambu Market Youth Mall still held leases, but on the day of the reporting visit only two were actually open for business. Nationwide, youth malls modeled on Jeonju's original have a closure-or-suspension rate of around 45%. The title "birthplace of Korea's youth malls" and the current reality — that most storefronts, if you visit, will likely be shuttered — sit on top of each other at the exact same address. When introducing this location on FitTripNow, it seems fairer to travelers to pair the historical significance ("this is where it all started") with a clear note to check current operating status before visiting, rather than let the origin story stand in for what's actually there today.