5 Best Shopping in Busan, South Korea

"Come! See! Buy!" This is the official motto of Korea's largest fish market, and no trip to Busan would be complete without a stroll down its thrumming concourse, where super fresh seafood of all types is splayed out in all of its scaly, tentacled glory. While the sleek, new raw fish center is distinctive, with glass paneling and a roof designed to look like seagulls, the surrounding streets will give you a better idea of the workings of the market, which are as old-school Busan as it gets.

Separated from the more famous Gukje complex by just one street, this colossal covered market specializes in imported goods and best of all, loads of great food stalls. To really get into the spirit of things, sit down at a plastic stool and dive into a bowl of guksu (thin noodles) or some of Busan's best bindaeddeok (mung bean pancake). And don't forget wash it all down with a fresh bottle of makgeolli (rice wine). Bupyeong is the site of city's only proper night market as well, running every day until 11:30 pm.

Situated in an alley right off the main Haeundae drag, this popular street market sells fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, and seafood, along with some traditional Korea items. It's most famous for its restaurants and food stalls featuring clams, squid, eel, and all other manner of sea life, along with Korean fried chicken and mountains of breaded and deep-fried snacks known as twigim. 

This fabric market is packed with colorful fabrics, buttons, ribbons and more. Besides haberdashery, there are also stalls that specialize in housewares.

Busan's most sprawling market sells everything from clothes and jewelry to bowls of steaming noodles and bean porridge. It's hard to know where the various market buildings begin and end, and when Gukje Market becomes Bupyeong Kkangtong Market. What is certain is the lively atmosphere and great eats such as dangmyeon (glass noodles) and chungmu gimbap (seaweed rice rolls with spicy radish) served up on Gukje's famous food street. The market was also the setting for the 2014 hit Korean film, Ode to My Father.