Seoul Yangnyeongsi Herb Medicine Market

“In these days, there are lots of interest about oriental medicines. So today, we would look around the most famous cities and markets of Korean medicine ingredients, Yangnyeongsi.”

The old pictures of Daegu Yangnyeongsi - http://dgom.daegu.go.kr/eng/

1. What is Yangnyeongsi?

There are a lot of ‘Yangnyeongsi’ in Daegu, Seoul, and Wonju. Yangnyeongsi was originally a market that opened twice a year (once in the spring and once in the fall) from the year of 1658 (the 9th year of King Hyo-Jong) as a part of a national governance project to promote efficiency in collecting oriental medicine ingredients. Originally located at the backyard of an inn around the North Gate of the Daegu Castle, Yangnyeongsi was relocated to its current location in 1908 when the Daegu Castle walls were tore down by the Japanese sovereignty.

During Japanese occupation, Yangnyeongsi served as a place of communication for monetary supporters of the independence movement, and hence was subjected to suppression. In the end, in 1941, Yangnyeongsi was closed down, only to reopen after independence, but it was yet again closed down as a result of the Korean War. After the June 25th Incident of Korea, the government has developed the first permanent Oriental Medicine Market into what is now Yakjeon (Pharmacopoeia) Alley around Namsung-ro, Daegu.

On the other hand, Yangnyeongsi in Seoul and Wonju is a different case. In the late 1960s, many herbal shops appeared naturally because the weather is good to grow herbs like Daegu, and to transport them. So they borrowed the name ‘Yangnyeongsi’ from Daegu and now the scale of the market is bigger than Daegu Yangnyeongsi.

2. What Can I see in Yangnyeongsi?(Seoul Yangnyeongsi)

The streets are lined with shops that have bags, boxes, buckets of herbs, dried fruits, and other plants that spill into the streets. The colorful goods catch the eyes to stop and scan everything from top to bottom. Frog carcasses hang from the eaves next to dried persimmons and bark from trees known and unknown are stacked high. The shopkeepers are medicine men that will listen to your ailments and concoct a tea just for you. Popular gifts from the market include ginseng for energy and Youngji mushrooms that have been shown to prevent a range of adult diseases. Everything from honeycombs with live bees still buzzing around them in mesh sacks, cactus leaves and roots of all shapes and sizes can be found. Seeds, leaves, herbs, dried flowers excite the eyes as well as the nose. Once they are ingested, they are sure to aid whatever the problem may be.

Seventy percent of the oriental medicine traded in Korea goes through here which means if you head here for your herbs, due to the low distribution costs, you can get most things that you’re looking for up to 30 percent cheaper than elsewhere. Though some shopkeepers in the area may not want to deal with the foreigners who don’t have grasp on traditional remedies, many seem more than hospitable and welcome the labored conversations in order to introduce new people to their very old medical practices.

The area doesn’t seem to get that much attention from the foreign tourists, but it really should. It’s worth a visit especially if you’re interested in learning more about holistic and natural remedies to whatever ails you.

3. Okay, so….. How can I get there?

Address: YangnyeongMarket, Jegi-dong Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, Korea

Directions:

Subway: Jegi-dong Station, exit 2. One entrance to the market is immediately to the left, but to get to the main entrance to the festival area, walk straight for 1 minute and you will see a larger entrance on the left. OR Yongdu Station, exit 2. Walk straight to a large intersection, cross the street and turn left. You will come to the entrance on the right.

Bus: 1212, 2223, 3200, 421, 105, 147, 201, 202, 241A, 241B, 260, 261, 262, 270, 271, 272, 420, 421, 720, 2221, 110A, 120, 121, 130, 141, 148, 2222

Phone: 02-969-4793

Days: Monday ~ Saturday. The market is closed on Sundays and national holidays with the exception of a few shops and street vendors.

Hours: 9:00AM – 7:00PM

Amenities: parking, museum

Website: http://www.seoulya.com

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