[Traditional Market N] Hwamunseok Memories and Market Days at Ganghwa Pun...

Ganghwa Pungmul Market. Photo by Ganghwa Pungmul Market Official Website.

Ganghwa Pungmul Market is a traditional market located in Ganghwa-eup, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon. Positioned near the Ganghwa Bus Terminal and at the center of the area where National Routes 48 and 84 meet, the market functions as both a permanent market and a periodic market held on dates ending in 2 and 7. Grain, vegetables, fruits, salted seafood, medicinal herbs, meat, dried seafood, tofu, and local specialties are traded throughout the market. Restaurants on the second floor serve dishes made with ingredients from Ganghwa’s fields and coastal waters.

Ganghwa Pungmul Market began with street vendors gathered around the former Jungang Market area. Through the legalization of street stalls, construction of a new market building, and cultural tourism market development projects, it grew into one of the representative marketplaces of Ganghwa-eup.

◇ A Market Shaped by Roads and Trade Routes

Ganghwa is a region made up of several islands, including Ganghwa Island, Seokmodo, and Gyodongdo. Located near the meeting point of the Yesong River, Han River, and Imjin River waterways, the area historically functioned as an important transportation and military hub. During the Goryeo Dynasty, the capital was temporarily moved to Ganghwa during the Mongol invasions. The island also became a strategic defense point during the French campaign of 1866 and the U.S. expedition to Korea in 1871.

These geographical conditions influenced the formation of local markets. During the Joseon Dynasty, the Ganghwadaero road connected Gyodong, Ganghwa, Gimpo, Yangcheon, and Hanyang, creating a route where waterways and land routes met naturally. People and goods gathered around the marketplace. The current National Route 48 largely follows the historical path of Ganghwadaero.

The Ganghwa-eup market long functioned as the region’s central marketplace. It was divided into Upper Market, Lower Market, and New Market sections, each handling different goods. The Upper Market in Gwancheong-ri mainly traded cloth and grain. The Lower Market in Sinmun-ri focused on vegetables, seafood, and clothing. The New Market became known for liquor and hwamunseok, Ganghwa’s signature woven sedge mats.

Ganghwa Pungmul Market. Photo by Ganghwa Pungmul Market Official Website.

The hwamunseok market remains one of the representative scenes in Ganghwa’s market history. In the 1970s, around 600 mats were reportedly sold on a single market day, and even into the 1990s, daily sales reached 400 to 500 pieces. The market opened before dawn and often ended by 7 a.m. Women carrying mats on their heads gathered alongside merchants as the marketplace filled from early morning.

A livestock market also operated on market days, trading cattle, pigs, and chickens, while merchants from Gangwon-do, Chungcheong-do, and Hwanghae-do visited the area. Near Namsangol and the local township office, a firewood market once sold heating and cooking fuel before disappearing after coal briquettes and oil became widespread during industrialization.

◇ From Street Vendors to a Cultural Tourism Market

The current Ganghwa Pungmul Market traces its origins to changes made in 1980. Ganghwa-gun transferred management of the marketplace to the private sector, and two commercial buildings were constructed under the name Jungang Market. The permanent market remained active through the 1980s, but during the 1990s, large discount stores and department stores expanded in nearby cities. Improved transportation also led more residents to shop in Gimpo and Seoul, weakening the traditional market economy.

Street vendors who could not secure space inside Jungang Market began operating outside along the roadside. On market days, stalls stretched along both sides of National Route 48 toward the Ganghwa County Office. Government crackdowns and repeated removals followed, especially ahead of the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Authorities eventually relocated around 270 vendors to a designated site near Dongnakcheon Stream. In 1993, Ganghwa Pungmul Market was formally established along the streamside area in Namsan-ri. It became a case in which informal street vendors were incorporated into an official market structure.

Another major change came in 2003 when Ganghwa-gun was selected for a small-town development project under the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs. A new market building opened in October 2007 near the Insam Center intersection. The two-story structure housed grain, vegetables, kimchi, salted seafood, herbs, meat, dried seafood, tofu, clothing, restaurants, and local specialty stores. On market days, additional stalls gathered in the open area west of the building.

Ganghwa Pungmul Market. Photo by Ganghwa Pungmul Market Official Website.

In 2013, the market was selected for a cultural tourism market development project. Facility improvements and expanded content programs followed. During this period, a wood-fired pizza restaurant operated by young merchants became one of the market’s better-known new additions.

◇ Hwamunseok, Ginseng, Turnips, and Local Food

The market’s products reflect Ganghwa’s geography and specialties. Shops on the first floor sell grain, vegetables, kimchi, salted seafood, medicinal herbs, meat, household goods, dried seafood, and tofu. Restaurants and specialty stores are located on the second floor, while additional outdoor stalls appear on market days.

Hwamunseok remains one of Ganghwa’s oldest and most recognized specialties. The woven sedge mats were made by hand using rush grass and were valued for blocking heat and absorbing moisture during summer. Local tradition says women from Gaegyeong began weaving them as side work after the Goryeo capital moved to Ganghwa during the Mongol invasions. At one point, the mats were considered such an important source of income that people said, “A family with three daughters becomes wealthy.”

Ganghwa is also known for ginseng cultivation, which reportedly began in 1903 and expanded after the Korean War as growers from Kaesong settled in the region. The nearby Insam Center reflects the importance of the local ginseng industry.

Ganghwa Pungmul Market. Photo by Ganghwa Pungmul Market Official Website.

Ganghwa turnips are another representative local specialty. According to local accounts, British military instructor Captain Colwell brought turnip seeds from Britain in 1892 while stationed in Ganghwa, and the imported variety mixed with local turnips to create the modern Ganghwa turnip.

Ganghwa sagewort, salted seafood, and dried fish are also widely sold throughout the market. Local dishes include sagewort rice with dried radish greens, seafood herbal soup, knife-cut noodle soup with crab and clams, and bandengi herring bibimbap mixed with ginseng and turnips.

Ganghwa Pungmul Market functions not only as a shopping space but also as part of the island’s travel route. Located near the bus terminal and local historic sites including Goryeogung Palace Site, Ganghwa Anglican Church, Jeondeungsa Temple, Gwangseongbo Fortress, and Chojijin Fortress, the market remains connected to both daily life and tourism in Ganghwa.

Ganghwa Pungmul Market. Photo by Ganghwa Pungmul Market Official Website.

On market days ending in 2 and 7, permanent shops inside the building and temporary stalls outside operate together. Ganghwa Pungmul Market continues to function as a living marketplace where residents shop and visitors encounter the region’s food, products, and history.

Reported by News Culture M.J._mj94070777@nc.press

* This article was manually prepared as a translated piece and later proofread and reviewed with the assistance of AI.