Seoul expands nighttime economy to traditional markets; K-food culinary festival at Namdaemun Market

[Financial News] Seoul’s policy to boost the nighttime economy is expanding to traditional markets. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 10th that it will hold the Seoul Moonlight Gourmet Festival, a nighttime food festival, around the Design Arcade at Namdaemun Market from the 14th to the 21st. The event will run daily from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The festival is part of the city’s “24-Hour Vibrant Economy City” policy. The plan is to develop Namdaemun Market, where spending by foreign tourists is rising, into a nighttime dining and tourism destination, drawing visitors and spending that are concentrated during the day into the evening.
During the event, well-known chefs will present special dishes developed using ingredients and signature foods from Namdaemun Market. Chef Nam Jun-young, who works in the Sinyongsan area, and Chef Cho Seo-hyung, who appeared on Netflix’s variety show Culinary Class Wars, will collaborate on dishes including “boiled pork with fresh kimchi” and “chicken kalguksu topped with young hairtail.”
Various hands-on and sales programs will also be held throughout the market. “Moonlight Shop” will showcase household goods and distinctive products from Namdaemun Market, while merchants will welcome visitors in person at “Moonlight Market,” which will feature at least 20 vendors. Three nighttime food tours will also take visitors around the market’s hidden eateries with a food expert.
On the first day of the festival, the 14th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony and serve as a chef for the day.
The recent rise in foreign spending is behind the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s efforts to develop Namdaemun Market into a hub for nighttime tourism. According to the city’s analysis of tourism and spending trends, foreign visitors’ card spending at Namdaemun Market rose 65.6% in January–September this year compared with the same period last year. That was well above the 48.8% increase in foreign card spending across all traditional markets in Seoul over the same period.
Nighttime cultural events are also coinciding with increased spending in nearby commercial districts. During last September’s Seoul Light DDP event, average daily card spending in nearby commercial districts rose 17.4% year on year, while foreign card spending increased 39.1%. Card sales in the commercial districts around Yeouido, Ttukseom and Mangwon also rose 5.9% during the Hangang Bamping event in August, according to the figures.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to expand nighttime tourism programs linking traditional markets with nearby attractions, using this festival as an opportunity. It aims to revitalize local commercial districts by encouraging visitors to nearby tourist destinations such as Myeong-dong and Namsan to visit Namdaemun Market in the evening as well.
Cho Seong-ho, director general of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Tourism and Sports Bureau, said, “I hope this Seoul Moonlight Gourmet Festival will offer a new travel experience—shopping by day and enjoying food at night—and help bring vitality to traditional markets.”
[email protected] Seong Cho-rong Reporter