If you’re ever in South Korea don’t forget to stop by some of the most vibrant and busiest night markets in Korea.

Without further ado let me introduce you to the Namdemun (남대문) Market.  Namdemun (남대문) is one of the oldest marketplaces in Korea.  You’ll find clothes, souvenir items like figurines, hair pins, and jewelry.  A lot of the items are cheaper than what you would find in a retail store.  If you really want the best value for your money, go to the market between the hours of 12am to 4am.  The streets of Namdemun (남대문) are less crowded at these hours; which means less customers and more sellers who are willing to lower their prices in a last bid attempt to sell their goods.

Next, let’s go to the Busan-kong-dong-o-shi-jang (부산공동어시장) which is the Busan Cooperative Fish Market.  This market is the largest seafood market in Korea.  They have all sorts of fish and seafood like seaweed, oysters, octupus, squid and eels.  I gotta warn you though, the smell can be umm…how should I say…interesting.  Well, simply put, the Busan (부산) fish market has a fishy, seawater sort of smell.  For first time visitors, this may be a bit overwhelming.

If you want a sweet deal on electronic goods, go to the Yongsan (용산) market.  It has a variety of name brand computers, CD players, Ipods, video games and office equipement.  While Youngsan (용산) is known to sell its products within a store rather than outside on the street sidewalk, you can still haggle over prices.  In fact, some items do not have a price tag because it’s expected that the customer will haggle over it.  Also, a lot of sellers at Yongsan (용산) will allow you to test out the machine before you buy it.  The only thing is, just don’t break anything!

Maybe you’re more into antiques.  Well then, let me guide you to Insadong (인사동) Market.  Insadong (인사동) has all the traditional Korean ceramics, paintings and furniture you could possibly ever want.  It’s really the place to go for anything traditional.  A word of warning though, it can be a bit pricey.  The goods are hand made, so some of them cost in the thousands while the most expensive can reach into the millions.  If you want something more affordable, they have these miniature porcelain vases that you can get as souvenirs.  Even if you don’t get to buy anything, just take a look around.  So much of traditional Korean culture and art is alive in Insadong (인사동).

Since these markets are not traditional shops, you can haggle with the seller to get a discount.  If the seller makes a ridiculous offer, sometimes customers will use the phrase, “바가지 씌우지 마세요” (bagaji shiuji maseyo).  This phrase literally means, “don’t put a bucket over my head” which is similar to the English phrase “to put the wool over someone’s eyes.”  You’ll also find that a lot of these markets are open past 12am.  So if you want to beat the morning and afternoon rush, you can take a leisurely stroll in the wee worning hours.  How fun!  For some of you this is a good excuse to stay up past curfew!