A Seoul weekend between spring and summer can slip into very different moods --depending on what you’re after. For a sporty reset, the revamped track along Anyangcheon in Mokdong offers a fresh, open stretch for runners. Or lean into the city’s culinary charm at Tongin Market, where the beloved Coin Lunch Box Cafe turns a traditional market visit into a hands-on, mix-and-match dining experience.
Traditional market experience with a twist
Located in Seochon, one of Seoul’s oldest neighborhoods, Tongin Market offers visitors a unique way to experience a traditional Korean market. While already well-known, the market stands out for its “Coin Lunch Box Cafe,” a program that lets visitors create their own meal using traditional Korean coins known as yeopjeon.
Visitors purchase yeopjeon — with a minimum amount of 10,000 won ($6.75) — and use them to buy small portions of various dishes from participating vendors. Unused coins can be refunded after the visit, and regular payment methods are also accepted throughout the market.
Tongin Market features a wide variety of popular street foods such as tteokbokki, gimbap, grilled chicken skewers, and sweet and spicy crispy chicken. Among them, the market’s signature dish is gireum tteokbokki, an or oil-based rice cake dish.
Unlike the more familiar sweet and spicy gochujang-based tteokbokki, gireum tteokbokki is seasoned with soy sauce and chili flakes, offering a simpler yet distinctly different flavor. While it may feel unfamiliar even to many Koreans today, it presents an interesting option for visitors looking to try a unique regional variation.
Once visitors have filled their lunchbox trays, they can head to the designated dining areas on the second and third floors of the Dosirak Cafe, located at the center of the market.
Tongin Market is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., with a regular closure on the third Sunday of each month. The Yeopjeon lunchbox program operates from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays, and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends.
Tongin Market
18, Jahamun-ro 15-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul
Running and rolling in Seoul
Anyangcheon is best known for its springtime spectacle — a tunnel of cherry blossoms that draws crowds west of the Han River each April. But the riverside greenway threading through Yangcheon-gu, with its paved paths and wildflower stretches, has plenty to offer year-round.
The latest addition sits beneath Mokdong Bridge, where the old roller rink reopened last month as a two-lane track for skaters and runners. The 14,600-square-meter loop now splits duties: an inner lane for skaters, an outer one for runners, freshly paved with shock-absorbing material that softens the pounding. The surface and drainage have been redone as well, keeping things in shape even after a downpour.
A separate beginner's zone keeps young learners out of fast traffic, while fresh benches and lawns line the perimeter for breathers between laps.
Anyangcheon Mokdong Multisport Zone
409-379 Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul
jaaykim@heraldcorp.com
