Experience ancient Korean commerce at Seoul's annual Yukui-jeon Festival
Jongno, the historic heart of downtown Seoul, will recreate a 600-year-old marketplace along Cheonggye Stream this Saturday during its annual Yukui-jeon Festival — a celebration named after the "Six Licensed Stores" that held exclusive royal monopolies during the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910). The 2026 festival will run from 1 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 7 around Jangtonggyo Bridge, bringing together local…
Jongno, Seoul's historic downtown core, will transport visitors back in time this Saturday with the 2026 Yukui-jeon Festival. The event reenacts a 600-year-old marketplace nestled along Cheonggye Stream, inspired by the "Six Licensed Stores" that once held exclusive royal monopolies during the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910). The festival will unfold from 1 to 8 p.m. on November 7, encircling Jangtonggyo Bridge, and will showcase local merchants, food vendors, traditional games, and live performances, all under the theme "Unjong-ga, Street Where People Gather Like Clouds."
This name pays homage to Unjong-ga, one of Joseon-era Seoul's principal commercial streets, which centered around the present-day Jongno intersection. Government-authorized merchants and independent traders would gather here to sell their goods, with Yukui-jeon representing the six major categories of these authorized shops: silk, cotton fabric, hemp fabric, paper, miscellaneous textiles, and seafood.
The Jongno-Cheonggye Tourist Special Zone Council is organizing this year's festivities, featuring sales booths operated by merchants from the very same categories that once defined the district's commerce.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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