Busan Kkangtong Night Market (부산깡통야시장)
Kkangtong night market is one of the top places that you must visit in Busan. This night market recently began starting in October of last year in 2013. However, the market itself has existed since 1910. Kkangton means ‘can’ in Korean. Apparently, the name is originated from the 625 Korean War when a lot of canned food from the U.S. military was traded in this market back in the days, and the name has been kept ever since.
Especially in summer season, it is a terrible idea to walk around places that are crowded during the day. Even though Korea, in general, is still hot and humid at night for being so close to the sea, I would say that it is definitely better to be outside at night. So, if you have a free evening while visiting Busan, this place could perfectly fit into your itinerary. It is open from 6pm to midnight.
At the entrance of the Night market, there are plenty of places of bars to go if you feel like drinking some soju. Yet, drinking is not the only thing you can do at the night market. It is also a good place to find something to snack on or something more solid for dinner after a hard day of playing at the beach. When I visited, I was actually a little disappointed because it wasn’t as big as I thought. But, unlike other traditional market places in Korea, I was able to find Korean food as well as some international food such as Japanese, Turkish, Malaysian, and Vietnamese food. As I was walking along, I could not help myself but stop to look at all the delicious food they had. Korean style sausage filled with chicken, curry cheese, sweet potato, fish cake, fried chicken, pancakes, etc. looked so yummy! They also sell hand-made jewelry. So, you can find some souvenirs for friends and family.
Busan Kkangtong Night Market is close to Nampo-dong and the Jagalchi Market which is Korea’s biggest seafood market. Unlike the Jagalchi Market, Kkangton Night Market has variety of food to choose from if you are not in the mood for seafood. You can easily take a bus or subway to get there. The closest subway stations are Tosung station or Jagalchi station. Don’t forget to go with empty stomach before you visit the night market. Unfortunately, unlike pretty much all the places in Korea, they only accept cash.
