4. Yangdong Traditional Market, Gwangju

Known as “Gwangju’s Kitchen,” Yangdong Traditional Market is packed to the rafters with local produce, including cabbage whites and greens, red jujube fruits, and ginseng beiges, arranged in rows that spread an explosion of color across the wide aisles. Despite its inland location, as the largest market in Jeollanam-do province, it has a huge seafood section. Look out for the triangular skate fish, dried and fermented, a regional specialty. Held on days of the month ending in 2 or 7, the market even has a place in history as a key meeting point for the Gwangju Uprising of May 18, 1980, which called for democracy in a South Korea then ruled by a military dictatorship.

5. Nammun Rodeo Market, Suwon

Just one of a cluster of nine specialty markets that stretch south and west from Suwon’s Paldalmun (also known as Nammun) Gate, Nammun Rodeo Market exceeds expectations of what a marketplace can be by blending art and culture into the traditional commercial space. As with all of Korea’s top markets, you can sample regional flavors such as to cheata walnut and red bean paste cookie, but at Nammun Rodeo you can do that while watching music and dance performances by tomorrow’s K-pop stars at Rodeo Art Hall. Nearby, Rodeo Street Gallery highlights works by local artists.