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Seogwipo Maeil Olle Market
	Part of the inside of the market (2024)
Location	Seogwi-dong [ko], Seogwipo, Jeju Province, South Korea
Coordinates	33°14′55″N 126°33′51″E / 33.2486°N 126.5643°E
Opening date	1960
Goods sold	Food, souvenirs

Seogwipo Maeil Olle Market (Korean: 서귀포매일올레시장; Hanja: 西歸浦市每日올레市場) is a large traditional market in Seogwi-dong [ko], Seogwipo, Jeju Province, South Korea. It is the largest and oldest permanent market in Seogwipo,^[1] and is considered a major tourist attraction and economic hub for the city.^[1]^[2]^[3] The market is named for olle, Jeju's traditional alleyways from roads to houses.^[4]

The market is open 24 hours, although the number of stalls open varies by the hour.^[5] The market is located on the Jeju Olle Trail.^[6] The market is centrally located and within a 10 minute walk of other major tourist attractions in the city.^[4]

Description

It sells a wide variety of goods and amenities, including street food, fruits and vegetables (especially Jeju's hallabong tangerines), souvenirs, and restaurants.^[4] Some stores identify which fish for sale were caught that same day.^[7] The market has an outdoor performance hall,^[8] and often hosts events and performances from local groups.^[5]^[9] One such event in February 2024 had a traditional Korean shamanic gut performance.^[10]

The market was officially established in 1960,^[9] and reportedly developed organically around that decade.^[11]^[4] The market once mainly sold agricultural and industrial products.^[1] In the 1990s, it reportedly experienced a lull in business, as local supermarkets became significant.^[12]^[7] Beginning in 2000, significant construction and modernization efforts were conducted in the market. It was made a covered market from 2000 to 2003. A parking facility with 250 spaces was finished in 2003. In 2004, standardized stalls and signboards were made, and a restroom was completed. The floors were also repaved.^[9]

The market's business recovered in the 2010s, as it was made part of the popular Jeju Olle Trail.^[12]^[7] Stores began catering towards tourists.^[1] The market became seen as a success story, as it was one of the fastest growing in the country. Efforts were made to modernize it further.^[12] There is a long artificial stream in the middle of the market, with fish and plants in it. The market has made efforts to digitalize and accept overseas payment efforts.^[4]^[5] Merchants were trained to be able to communicate with foreigners, especially Chinese tourists.^[5]

In 2017, it had 216 stores, with 103 street stalls. It had parking capacity for 600 cars and 5 buses.^[5] A 2022 report gave the total average sales per day for the market as ₩178.22 million,^[2]^[3] with an average of 9,034 daily customers.^[3] The market began a modernization effort in 2023, wherein ₩1.25 billion was invested in various projects for the market.^[13] The city has hosted debates on how to disperse the economic benefits of the market to the rest of the city.^[8]^[2]^[3]