THE nightscape of Seoul offers a wealth of pleasant surprises, one of which is Seoul Bamdokkaebi Night Market, a special weekend market being held in five locations throughout the city.

The night market set up at Seoul Color Park in Yeouido encourages visitors to explore multiple facets of the metropolitan city. It consists of food trucks, handmade craft stores and unique performances.

Visitors to the market will find the sounds of a band’s mellow yet exciting performance growing louder as they approach. They will also find a mix of delicious food from some 30 food trucks.

From Korean street food, such as tteokbokki (stir-fried rice cake) and chicken skewers, to Thai and Japanese food, people often wait in long lines to try the wide range of food available.

“No matter what type of food you like, there are many options you get to choose from,” said Iman Mohamed, 28, an American who teaches English and lives in Seoul. “A person who is indecisive like me might have a hard time choosing what to eat first.”

But the market is also popular with local residents as it is a great place to buy goods.

Yu Jin-sil, 24, said that she enjoyed buying handmade crafts at the market. “They sell such cute handmade items, such as passport holders or coin purses. I wanted more but I just bought two of them.”

Seoul Bamdokkaebi Night Market does not have a long history. It began in July 2015 for a week as a pilot project, before being launched in March last year.

The festival takes place in five locations: Yeouido, DDP, Cheonggyecheon, Banpo and Cheonggye Plaza.

“Nearly 40,000 to 50,000 people make visits to the night market in Yeouido. Combining all five markets, about 100,000 people are expected to enjoy the atmosphere at the venue,” said Shin Ji-hee, the project leader of the market.

Shin said she wanted to provide a place where families, friends and couples can enjoy their weekends in Seoul.

“I wanted to create a market that will become one of Seoul’s great attractions,” she said. “I visited various popular night markets both in and out of Korea to see how I can make it a better place.”

Shin recommended first-time visitors to visit the Seoul Color Park in Yeouido to experience the unique atmosphere of the market.

“They can take a virtual world tour through traditional music, dance performances and food from Korea and other countries in Asia, Europe and America. At the same time, [they can experience the] remarkable view of the nightscape of the Han River,” Shin said.

The organisers of the market are planning to offer new citizen participation programs such as book classes, handmade crafts classes and marriage proposal events.

—The Korea Herald

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2017