Attracting Foreign Visitors: 11 Traditional Markets Selected as "K-Tourism Markets"

Korea Tourism Organization to Develop Key Markets Across 10 Regions, Including Kyungdong, Seomun, and Jeonju Nambu Markets
Service Enhancements Planned, Including Fixed-Price Policies and Multilingual Guidance

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization announced on March 4, 2026, that they have selected the second group of "K-Tourism Markets" and will begin full-scale support to cultivate traditional markets as global tourist attractions.

Daegu Seomun Market Overview. Photo by Daegu Jung-gu Office

The organization selected the final 11 markets across 10 regions nationwide by evaluating each market's attractiveness and global growth potential through a public contest.

The selected markets are as follows: Kyungdong Market and Mangwon Market in Seoul; Haeundae Market in Busan; Seomun Market in Daegu; Sinpo International Market in Incheon; Suwon Nammun Market in Gyeonggi Province; Sokcho Tourist & Fisheries Market in Gangwon Province; Danyang Gugyeong Market in North Chungcheong Province; Jeonju Nambu Market in North Jeolla Province; Andong Old Market Association in North Gyeongsang Province; and Dongmun Traditional Market in Jeju.

The selected markets will receive customized support, including the development of brand strategies for each market, enhanced overseas marketing, expansion of experiential programs, and the creation of stay-type tourism products. Service improvements will also be promoted, such as campaigns to spread a culture of kindness and cleanliness, fixed-price policies, payment infrastructure, and multilingual guidance.

The organization plans to collaborate with local governments and merchants' associations to improve user convenience by providing packaging and luggage storage services tailored to foreign tourists and to increase visitors' length of stay by expanding local food, festivals, and nighttime tourism content.

Kang Yooyoung, Head of the Regional Tourism Development Team at the Korea Tourism Organization, stated, "We will provide support so that traditional markets can establish themselves as representative tourist destinations of Korea."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.