Jayu and Muhak Markets


A visit to markets where the liveliness of local people can be directly felt cannot be left out of the schedule. In particular, the fun of eating and people watching as well as touring traditional attractions can all be enjoyed in Chungju’s traditional markets. Five markets gathered along Chungjucheon Stream are located where the north gate of the old Chungjueupseong Walled Town was. Each market has its own characteristics, making it fun to visit each one. Among the markets, Jayu Market is easily accessible due to its location near a big road and has many stores that handle dry goods, clothes and jewelry. Muhak Market, where various kinds of food such as vegetables, fish and side dishes are sold, is also worth visiting.

In particular, Sundae-Mandu Alley stretching from Jayu Market to Muhak Market is a course you should take: Blood sausage and rice soup with dried radish leaves and chewy-textured potato dumplings are popular. After filling your stomach, why not check out Jayu Café run by the Jayu Market Merchants’ Society. A variety of beverages can be enjoyed at a low price, and the joy of requesting the music you want to listen to from a DJ can be experienced.

Also at Nuri Market near Jayu and Muhak Markets there is the Samhwa Blacksmith’s Shop run by Kim Myeong-il, a blacksmith designated as Chungcheongbuk-do’s intangible cultural heritage. Watching the master craftsman, who has handled iron for about 60 years, work the bellows and hammer and temper the iron to make a variety of tools is phenomenal. Nearby there is Banseonjae House, the house where UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon lived in during his school days.