You arrive at a market hungry and leave with a lunch that no one else would have assembled quite the same way. At Seoul’s Tongin Market, the first thing you buy is not food. It is a handful of coin-shaped tokens and an empty lunchbox.

The tokens are called yeopjeon. They resemble coins used during the Joseon era, but here they serve a modern purpose: you exchange them for small portions of food at participating stalls. One stop might add a savory snack; the next, something spicy. By the time you sit down, your tray tells the story of the choices you made along the way.

Start with an Empty Lunchbox

Tongin Market sits in Seochon, west of Gyeongbokgung Palace. Its Dosirak Café system lets visitors collect dishes from different vendors instead of ordering a complete meal at one counter. Dosirak means lunchbox in Korean.

First, find the designated token counter and exchange money for yeopjeon. You will receive a lunchbox tray to carry through the market. Look for participating shops before ordering: not every stall accepts the tokens. Each dish costs a set number of coins, so check the sign or ask before you choose. The Korea Tourism Organization’s guide explains the process and notes that a menu-translation QR service is available.

That small pause in front of each stall is part of the fun. Do you spend your coins on something familiar, or take a chance on a dish you cannot yet name?

The Dish to Look For

If you want one food that belongs in a Tongin Market story, look for gireum tteokbokki. Unlike the saucy tteokbokki many visitors know, this version is stir-fried in oil with seasoning. The rice cakes can develop crisp edges while keeping their chew. The Korea Tourism Organization highlights it as a market specialty.

After that, build a meal that suits you. A contrasting savory dish, vegetables, or a small snack can make the tray more interesting than several similar choices. What is available depends on the stalls operating that day, so let the market—not a fixed checklist—decide the rest.

Why the Coins Change the Experience

Hold the coin-shaped tokens in your hand, step up to a stall, and choose what goes into your lunchbox. Paying for each dish with yeopjeon makes an ordinary market purchase feel a little different: you can imagine a time when coins changed hands across Korean market stalls.

These are modern tokens modeled after coins used during the Joseon era, rather than historical currency. The Dosirak Café turns that connection to the past into something you can do, not just read about. As you move between vendors, your coins gradually become a lunch assembled from the market’s different flavors.

Tongin Market introduced the lunchbox program in 2012, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. It is a modern way to explore a market with a much longer history—and to leave with a meal you chose one coin at a time.

Before You Go

The market is about 515 meters from Gyeongbokgung Station Exit 2. Plan it as a lunchtime visit: the hours for buying tokens are shorter than the market’s general opening hours. The official Visit Seoul listing provides the address and general visitor information.

Check the token counter location before visiting. During customer-center renovation, the market has directed visitors to a temporary sales point opposite the usual center, with outdoor seating near the pavilion. Follow signs on the day. The posted tourism information and the Dosirak Café operator’s channel also differ on the weekly closing day, so check the operator’s latest notice when planning your trip.

Then come hungry, take the empty tray, and see what lunch you make with your coins.