Why it matters. It's a small but telling example of how South Korean coastal towns are using night markets to extend tourist spending into the evening and keep struggling traditional markets alive.
Background. South Korea's 'traditional markets' (jeontong sijang) are older, often covered marketplaces that have lost ground to supermarkets and online shopping, prompting government revitalization programs like the culture-and-tourism market project behind this event. Donghae sits in Gangwon Province, a mountainous, sea-facing region popular for domestic summer travel. Koreans refer to the waters east of the peninsula as the 'East Sea,' a name carrying national significance in an ongoing naming dispute with Japan, which calls it the Sea of Japan.
What to watch next. Whether the seafood-and-marine theme draws enough evening visitors to justify making the night market an annual fixture.
A New Summer Night Market on Korea’s East Coast
The city of Donghae, on the east coast of South Korea’s Gangwon Province, announced on June 9 that it will open a ‘East Sea Central Market Weekend Night Market’ this July, running every Friday and Saturday from July 10 to August 29 to draw peak-season tourists and revitalize a traditional marketplace.
The night market will operate from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and feature 25 food booths alongside a 20-stall flea market. It is being organized as part of a government-backed ‘culture-and-tourism market development project,’ a national program that helps older traditional markets reinvent themselves as evening leisure and tourism destinations rather than simple daytime shopping venues.
A Seaside Flavor and a Local Focus
This year, organizers say they will give preference to vendors offering products and content that reflect Donghae’s identity as a coastal city — the sea, seafood, and marine tourism. The goal is to set the market apart from generic night markets by tying its food and goods directly to local character.
Donghae is a small port city known for its harbors, beaches, and fresh seafood, and the East Sea — the body of water Koreans call the sea to the country’s east — is central to the region’s economy and identity. City officials hope the market will extend visitors’ stays into the evening, a common challenge for coastal towns whose tourism traditionally peaks during daylight hours.
How Vendors Can Apply
The city is recruiting participating merchants through June 11. Applications are open to businesses currently operating within the Donghae area, and eligibility requirements and details are posted in the notices section of the city’s official website.
Lim Seong-bin, head of Donghae City’s Economy Division, said the city hopes merchants with fresh ideas that capture Donghae’s appeal and local character will take part, adding that the city will do its best to ensure the weekend night market contributes to the local economy and helps attract tourists.
The initiative reflects a broader strategy seen across South Korea, where local governments increasingly use night markets, festivals, and food-focused events to support small merchants and compete for domestic summer travelers.
