Gangneung Jungang Market Opening Hours: Essential Guide Before Your Visit

Gangneung Jungang Market, located at 21 Geumseong-ro, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do, is a permanent market featuring a variety of stores selling food, seafood, dried goods, agricultural products, and clothing. It is particularly renowned for its abundant street food like dakgangjeong (sweet and spicy fried chicken), ojingeo sundae (squid sausage), mulhoe (spicy raw fish soup), and eomuk croquettes (fish cake croquettes), making it a must-visit for tourists in Gangneung. A key characteristic is that the market does not have a single set operating hour; rather, each store operates on its own schedule.

The market's basement floor houses a direct seafood market and numerous raw fish restaurants, while the ground floor features food alleys with dakgangjeong and ojingeo sundae, along with various shops. Specialty ojingeo sundae stores typically operate from around 11 AM to 8 PM on weekdays and from 10 AM on weekends. During weekends or holiday seasons, queues at popular stores can be long, so if you plan to take food back to your accommodation, it is advisable to place your order early in your market visit and then explore other areas.

Bloggers recommend checking the operating hours and closing days of individual stores before visiting Gangneung Jungang Market. They also suggest visiting about an hour before lunchtime to avoid missing out on desired items due to ingredients selling out later in the day. Parking is available at Jungang Market Public Parking Lots 1, 2, and 3, as well as Wolhwa Street roadside parking. During weekends, the parking lots directly in front of the market fill up quickly, so it is important to be aware of alternative parking options nearby.