Tongin Market is sometimes mistaken for an old Joseon marketplace, but it began as a public market during Japanese colonial rule in 1941. It was created for Japanese residents nearby. After the Korean War, Seochon's population increased and stalls and shops gathered around the original market, forming today's alley-like shopping street.
The market was not completed all at once
Its roughly seventy shops include groceries, prepared side dishes, snack stalls, and household goods. Oil tteokbokki is famous among tourists, but for residents the market remains an everyday place to buy food and assemble a meal.
How the lunchbox tokens actually work
The Dosirak Café program began in 2012. Visitors buy metal tokens at the information point and exchange them for portions of food at participating shops. They are not reused Joseon coins; they are a modern experiential payment system valid inside the market. Operating days, hours, and participating shops should be checked before a visit.
Do more than eat and leave
Read each shop's rules and prices before concentrating orders at one stall, and ask merchants before taking photographs. Respecting a historic market means more than consuming an “old-fashioned atmosphere.” It means purchasing real food and goods at fair prices from the people working there.