Tongin Market

You can enter Tongin Market by wheelchair, move along its flat lanes, and use an accessible toilet inside. It is a traditional alley market in Jongno-gu, and restaurants and side-dish shops are its most common stores.

Wheelchair: Wheelchair accessibleThe main entrance has no step, the market floor is flat, and an accessible toilet is inside the market.
Walking load: Not rated yet
Source: Checked online · Oct 2026

Entrance arch of Tongin Market between city buildings, with shop signs, a banner, and two parked cars in front on a street — KTO, KOGL Type 1

Getting there

Gyeongbokgung StationLine 3Street elevator at Exit 4.
Station
Gyeongbokgung Station toiletInside the gates, B2, by Exit 3. Listed as not wheelchair-usable.
Gwanghwamun StationLine 5Street elevator at Exit 1.
Station
Gwanghwamun Station toiletOutside the gates, B1, by Exits 7 and 8. Wheelchair-usable.

Accessible toilets near here

Heads-up

One travel guide says, as of April 2025, that the whole market closes on the third Sunday of each month. As of October 21, 2026, the market is open daily. Call 0507-1378-0940 (+82-507-1378-0940) before a third-Sunday visit.

The Dosirak Cafe closes on Mondays and may also close on the third Sunday of each month. Weekday coin sales end at 15:00 as of October 2026, so arrive before then.

Getting in

Entrance: You can reach the main entrance by wheelchair. The approach and entrance have no steps or slopes.
Parking: The market has no parking lot of its own, so use a paid lot nearby. Singyo Public Parking Lot (신교공영주차장) has 4 accessible spaces. Its elevator is in the parking lot, not in a market building.
Route: Directions to the market use Gyeongbokgung Station Exit 2, a 13-minute walk, but that is not the street elevator exit. Older information from 2016: a survey found that vents in the lane from Exits 3 and 4 made wheelchair travel harder. It is not known if this still applies.

Inside

Paths: The market floor is flat, with no steps or slopes, and wheelchair users can move through the lanes. Sources differ on lane width: newer information says wide, and older information says narrow. Goods, people, signs, and boxes may narrow some stretches, including just inside the entrance.
Crowds: One travel guide says lanes can get blocked at busy times such as weekends, which makes moving with a stroller harder.
Toilets: An accessible toilet is inside the market, in the customer center (고객만족센터). There is a ramp in front of the center, and the toilet has room for a power wheelchair.
Toilet use: The toilet is marked as having some difficulties in use, but the reason is not recorded. The sliding door appears to have a push button, and grab bars appear to be beside the toilet. Older information from 2016: a survey found that a manual door and distant grab bar made solo use hard. It is not known if this still applies.
Seats: The Dosirak Cafe (도시락카페) has 3rd-floor seats, from single seats to family tables. It is not known if wheelchair users can reach the cafe's 2nd and 3rd floors.

Also useful

Hours: Shops open 07:00–21:00 as of October 2026, but hours vary by shop.
Coins: Buy yeopjeon (엽전) coins on the cafe's 2nd floor. They cost 500 won each as of May 2025, and unused coins can be refunded.
Cafe: Coin sales run Tuesday to Friday 11:00–15:00 and Saturday to Sunday 11:00–16:00, as of October 2026. Most sources say the cafe closes on Mondays, but a May 2025 article says Tuesdays. Its closing hour and other days off are less clear. Sources differ on its closing hour, from 15:00 to 17:00, and on whether it closes on the third Sunday. Call 0507-1378-0940 (+82-507-1378-0940) to ask.
Contact: Call 0507-1378-0940 (+82-507-1378-0940). If that fails, try 02-722-0911 (+82-2-722-0911). The market also has a KakaoTalk chat.
Other needs: The market has no facilities for visitors who are blind or deaf. It has no stroller rental or storage, diaper table, or nursing room.

Not known yet

The step-free route from the station elevator exit to the market, including crossings and slopes
How far Singyo Public Parking Lot is from the market, and the route between them
How far the accessible toilet is from the entrance, and its current opening hours
Benches or other seats in the market lanes
Whether staff can help in English by phone or chat

Sources

The summary, the notes and the lists on this page draw on these sources.

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