Get a taste of Korea at Eunma Shopping

The following is the second in a series of articles featuring tourist sites in Gangnam, southern Seoul, where both domestic and foreign tourists can experience an alluring blend of modern and traditional attractions. — ED.

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Generally, the northern part of Seoul is introduced as more traditional with old palaces and museums, while the southern part is more tech-savvy and filled with latest fad.

Gangnam, the district south of the Han River, is more known for the Coex and the World Trade Center in Seoul with their large underground shopping mall; and Cheongdam-dong lined with luxurious shops.

However, there is an old-fashioned shopping center full of local foodstuff in the heart of the area, allowing tourists to glimpse what Korean homemakers cook for daily dining.

The Eunma Shopping Center is located right in front of exit No. 3 of Daechi Station on subway line No. 3. It is a facility for the Eunma Apartment Complex, but people from all over Seoul and even from other regions flock to the center. The Gangnam City Tour Bus also makes a stop at the mall.

Though named a “shopping center,” the place is more like a Korean traditional market crammed into an indoor mall.

The building with three stories above ground and one below has more than 472 stores. The most popular floor is the basement full of eateries and various grocery stores.

Kim Da-youn, 24, a university student, excitedly used her chopsticks on tteokbokki at Manna Snack Bar located in the basement of the shopping center. The snack bar is famous for its rice cake broiled in red pepper sauce.

She chose a platter composed of tteokbokki, sundae (Korean blood sausage), two pieces of fried vegetable, dumpling and fish cake.

Kim had just returned from a one-year-long language training program in Australia and came to Manna with her friend. “Manna’s tteokbokki was one of the first things I wanted to eat when I left Australia,” Kim said. “It was my favorite place when I was in high school. Though I moved, I sometimes come here to eat the same tteokbokki.”

And she suggested not missing soft ice cream wrapped in popped rice as a dessert to sweeten up the palate after eating the hot tteokbokki.

The shopping center gets very crowded in late afternoon, as housewives come to the market to prepare dinner for the evening. They can buy ingredients at small grocery stores or choose handmade side dishes for convenience. There are numerous shops selling salted seafood, “jeon” (Korean-style pancake), rice cake and more in the basement.

Choi Hae-soon, the owner of side dish store Eunma Banchan Maeul, said she has been running the shop for more than 15 years.

Generally, these side dishes are for local residents, but tourists can also try Korean home-style cooking as they are packed in small portions.

“Tourists usually try the dishes in small amounts after their tour guide. Some of them buy small packs if they like something,” Choi said. “The most popular one is kimchi, as it is very Korean. Especially, Japanese tourists like napa cabbage kimchi.”

Other than kimchi, the store offers a variety of foodstuff from seasoned vegetables to “doenjang-jjigae,” or soybean paste stew.

“Some customers come back to the Eunma Market after moving away. Our trading area covers across the nation. We also have website and receive Internet orders. Once we sent our dishes to Ulleung Island, located some 120 kilometers east of the Korean Peninsula,” the owner said.

The shopping center is also trying to revamp itself to provide a more convenient shopping environment while keeping the charm of the old-style market.

Jung Ok-sun, the president of the mall’s business association, wants to promote the market to both local and international tourists. The shopping center will also establish a website later this year to give information on shops and events.

“There are charms of traditional markets which you cannot feel at department stores or discount stores. There are old, unique shops selling homemade products where things are available in small quantities,” Jung said.

“The Eunma Shopping Center contains memories of family and friends. I wish tourists visiting here also can make memories,” she said.