Subway Stories
For centuries and continuing to present day, Koreans have utilized the medicinal properties of plants and animal-based natural sources in the field of medicine.
One such example is "ssanghwa cha," a medicinal herb tea that remains popular among Koreans despite its bitter taste, thanks to its reputation as a natural remedy for a cold or fatigue. This herbal beverage with a brown hue includes a variety of ingredients such as plant roots, grass, leaves and tree bark, which are not commonly found on dining tables.
Almost all of these seemingly inedible ingredients, including those from insects and animals, can be found in a street market in Jegi-dong near Jegi-dong Station on Seoul Subway Line No. 1.
The neighborhood exudes a traditional ambiance with its distinct, earthy aroma reminiscent of rich soil. With a significant elderly demographic, it is home to the nation's biggest traditional herbal medicine scene, while maintaining its agricultural heritage to this day.
Hub of medicinal herb trade
Located just outside Exit No. 2 of Jegi-dong Station in Seoul’s Dongdaemun district, a traditional gate marks the entrance to Seoul Yangnyeongsi Market, a hub for medicinal herbal goods. Yangnyeongsi translates to "medicine market" in Korean.
Yangnyeongsi specializes in dealing in Korean herbology ingredients and the production of Korean traditional herbal medicines, known as "hanyak."
Many people mistake this herbal market as a section of the adjacent Gyeongdong Market, but it officially received the designation as the capital’s only medicine market in 1995 from the city government. Currently, another traditional medicine market is located in the southeastern city of Daegu.
Seoul Yangnyeongsi Market is renowned for commanding approximately 70 percent of the nation’s herbal medicine trade, and around 1,000 medicine facilities such as traditional clinics, herbal vendors and apothecaries operate at the site, according to information provided by the Dongdaemun-gu Office.
This treasure trove of traditional medicinal ingredients also has historical significance, as it carries on the legacy of Bojewon in the same location, a medical institution during the Joseon era (1392-1910) that provided medical assistance and accommodations.
“Seoul’s Yangnyeongsi is occupied by individual stores and Oriental medical clinics, compared to the Gyeongdong market, which is packed with mostly street vendors (of all sorts of good),” said a woman in her 60s who works at a medical clinic at Yangnyeongsi.
“People come here to seek Oriental medical clinics in order to receive traditional medical treatments,” she added.
Her medical clinic showcased ingredients on the street for sale, with various roots, spices and plants that have unfamiliar names. Other stores across the street offered deer antlers of all different sizes for use in medicines.
In addition to offering a vast array of medicinal ingredients and tailor-made hanyak, the market provides the opportunity to explore in depth Korean traditional medicine at the Herb Medicine Museum within the Seoul K-Medi Center.
The museum showcases historical artifacts and chronicles diverse aspects of Korean medicine traditions, offering interactive experiences to engage visitors. The cultural complex also hosts exhibitions, educational programs, and activities related to traditional methods of cure, aiming to promote traditional Korean medicine.
Agricultural market not only for elderly
Neighboring Yangnyeongsi is one of Seoul's largest and most vibrant local markets, Gyeongdong Market. It is also in close proximity to Cheongnyangni Market, a large provider of the freshest fruit and vegetables in town.
Housing more than 700 street vendors, Gyeongdong Market is a bustling marketplace that offers a wide array of edible goods, particularly agricultural products, ranging from fruits, meat and seafood to medicinal items like ginseng root.
The market emerged as a pivotal trading center for agricultural produce transactions in the 1960s, when merchants from Gyeonggi Province and Gangwon Province flocked to the region, arriving at the now-defunct Seongdong Station and the still-intact Cheongnyangni Station.
Although the market is primarily frequented by senior citizens, it recently has seen an increase in the number of young visitors since Gyeongdong Theater, which opened in 1962, has morphed into a spacious themed Starbucks coffeehouse called Kyungdong 1960.
Furthermore, the market collaborates with LG Electronics to offer cultural experience zones near the coffee franchise. These areas showcase vintage household appliances and provide visitors an immersive time-travel experience, transporting them back to the 1960s.
Yet, whether the incorporation of youth-friendly spaces into the traditional market will bring positive economic effects is still to be seen, as not all coffee aficionados may take a liking to the market environment.
"While the revamped Starbucks store piqued my curiosity, I still feel somewhat unfamiliar with making purchases at traditional markets," remarked Park Hyun-soo, a Jegi-dong resident in his 30s.
Last month, Minister of SMEs and Startups Lee Young convened a meeting with young vendors operating at Gyeongdong Market to discuss strategies for drawing a younger consumer base and revitalizing the traditional market's sales.
Lee emphasized, "For a traditional market to evolve and thrive, it's crucial to not only attract young merchants but also young consumers, transforming the area into a multicultural complex."
Remnants of agricultural rite
For those seeking to explore South Korea's agricultural heritage in a peaceful setting away from bustling marketplaces, a short distance west of Jegi-dong Station's Exit No. 1 lies another historical site associated with the “seonnongje” ceremony -- a state ritual dedicated to promoting a prosperous agricultural season.
Constructed in 1476, the Seonnongdan Altar served as a venue for seonnongje, which venerates two ancient Chinese mythological deities credited with advancing human society toward agriculture: Shennong, the deity of farming, and Houji, the deity of grain.
The ceremonial plowing and sowing of seeds were conducted by the king, the crown prince, a minister and a commoner on the plot of land southeast of the altar. This symbolic act aimed to emphasize the importance of farming and express hopes for an abundant harvest.
Visitors can further delve into a wealth of information about the seonnongje ritual at the Seonnongdan History and Culture Center, including detailed records of the ceremony's history, displays of ritual costumes, agricultural tools and step-by-step procedures of the ritual ceremony.
Beyond informative displays, the center provides visitors with hands-on experiences of agricultural traditions, allowing them to actively engage in their learning experience.
