Dried fish store, the last one remaining in Samrye Market

Yeosusanghoi

Yeosusanghoi opened in 1981 and is the last dried fish store existing in Samrye Market. The store which began as a ‘half store’ with its wooden board door, is still going well 40 years later. It’s been possible due to selling quality goods with low profit margins since its beginning, which has seen generations of customers, with descendants of its first patrons still shopping there now.

At one time, business was so good that the owner didn’t have time to go to bed as there were so many customers. However, now all of the dried fish stores have closed except for Yeosusanghoi. It had to relocate because of the renovation of Samrye Market. This led some customers to think the store had closed down. The store didn’t have as many customers as in the past because they didn’t know its new location. Time was the key. The regulars discovered the owner of the store and spread the news. It took about one year to get going in full swing again after its relocation.

The daughter-in-law of the owner said “My mother-in-law knows all there is to know is even though she spends all her time in the store.” Her customers visit the store as soon as she opens in the morning. They sit down and talk and talk, and naturally she came to hear stories from all around the world.

Yeosusanghoi is a place where you can buy quality goods easily, and have someone to talk to if you want to. It’s strongly recommended to visit at least once if you have the chance.

- Location: 27 Namseosin-gil, Samrye-eup, Wanju-gun, Jeonbuk

Gourmet Restaurant with a Great View at Daea Reservoir, Dongsang-myeon

Nopeunjib

‘Nopeunjib’ at Daea Reservoir, Dongsang-myeon is a freshwater fish maeuntang restaurant managed by a couple whose home became submerged when the reservoir was constructed. All the ingredients used there are from the owner’s own fields or collected from the mountains. As the wife makes all the side dishes with those pure and clear ingredients, customers can taste their own moms’ home cooked food. Fatsia shoots collected from the mountains in spring are served on the table, chive pancakes in summer, acorn jelly in fall, and dried Dongsang persimmons as a desert in winter. The freshwater maeuntang of the restaurant uses freshwater fish such as catfish and bullhead caught by the owner himself, and is boiled with plenty of dried radish leaves. The hot taste from hot pepper is the first priority and when you eat well-broiled leaves on a spoonful of rice, you will ask for one more bowl of rice. In the maeuntang served by the couple of Nopeunjib, you can feel the affection the couple have living in front of their submerged home.

- Location: 661-3, Daeajeosu-ro, Dongsang-myeon, Wanju-gun, Jeonbuk

A Bakery in Yongjin That Stole the Hearts of Bread Lovers

Samilwol

Passing by the Yongjin Local Food, you may have seen it at least once. The bakery store Samilwol, written in yellow on a tin plate sign. As the bakery appears to be small and a little rough around the edges, you may worry if there are any customers, but the bakery is very famous for its delicious tastes. The unique store name was the idea of the owner, who likes croissants. He tried to derive a name from croissant-related things, but came up with it from the moon ‘samilwol’ rising on the third lunar day.

As the store is small, different breads are displayed on the small shelves every hour. If you have any favorite there, you should know when what you want is baked. It’s an inconvenience you do not experience at other bakeries, but it’s okay as the delicious taste of the bread is worth it. In addition, you can directly observe the process of kneading and baking with your own eyes, so why don’t you visit the bakery if you are passing by?

- Location: 179, Wanju-ro, Yongjin-eup, Wanju-gun, Jeonbuk

A clothing store in Gosan-myeon that has nearly everything you could think of

Myeonglang Shopping

‘Myeonglang Shopping’ is the biggest clothing store in downtown Gosan. It’s not just women’s outdoor clothes that can be found here. You can think of it as a department store, as it has almost everything necessary for living including bathroom shoes, underwear, blankets, hats, and bags.

The most interesting feature of this store is that there is no price tag. If you want to know the price of an item, you should talk to the owner instead of looking for price tags. According to him, working alone to put price tags on goods takes too much time. Plus the price can change a little depending on his mind. The reason? It’s a clothing store where a discount is possible. Talking to him while buying items, the owner tries to consider the customer’s situation, and asks the customer to pay what they can afford to pay.

Myeonglang Shopping is like a neighborhood rest area. It’s the place where customers drink tea served by the owner and take a rest. Local residents come for the air conditioning when it’s so hot outside, and look around for what they need. Customers even get to know and talk to each other. It’s the friendliness that customers from other areas like Iksan, Gunsan, and Jinan come for.

- Location: 107, Gosan-ro, Gosan-myeon, Wanju-gun, Jeonbuk

Old Noodle Restaurant in Bongdong-eup

Jangteoguksu

There are several guksu (noodle) restaurants that boast different charms on the street known as guksu street in Bongdong-eup. Among them, Jangteoguksu is an old one, originally located in Bongdong Bus Terminal. As the site was demolished, it resumed business at its present location in 2017.

Although the location has changed, the taste of the brothremains the same. There are only two items on the menu, mulguksu and bibimguksu. Kongguksu is added during the summer season, but it’s just a seasonal additional to the menu. Recently due to the skyrocketing consumer prices, it’s not easy to have a meal with only 10,000 won, but two people can eat guksu until they’re full with that money there.If you are eager to eat a hearty bowl of guksu, Jangteoguksu is highly recommended.

- Location: 74, Bongdong-ro, Bongdong-eup, Jeonbuk

A cafe as well as a pilgrim’s shelter

Cafe Martyr

‘Martyr’ is a Latin word meaning the persecuted. Cafe Martyr was set up in September 2021 as a place for pilgrims from all over the country to take a rest in a quiet atmosphere. ‘Martyr’ is called a cafe, but is actually a shelter managed by catholic volunteers, so they do not charge any money for their drinks. It is managed through the voluntary donations of the cafe users. It is operated entirely with the support of volunteers and pilgrims.

If you need peace of mind and somewhere to take a rest or feel the faith of martyrs, try to visit cafe Martyr in Chonami Holy Land.

- Location: 122-1, Chonamsingi-gil, Iseo-myeon, Wanju-gun, Jeonbuk

Mom’s taste in Samrye, discovery of a home-made meal

Hyangwusikdang

Hyangwusikdang, specializing in home-made style Korean meals, is a restaurant where simple but hearty meals are provided. They set their table using the rice they grow by themselves and all other food ingredients from Wanju. The seasonal table setting is as good as a table set by your own mom.

Using seasonal ingredients, they offer naengi soybean paste soup in spring, cold cucumber soup in summer, and warm nurungji soup in autumn and winter. With clean and fresh side dishes, grilled sea fish like mackerel, yellow corbina, or flatfish take up part of the table, and customers can choose one of the main dishes from kimchi stew, cheonggukjang, doenjang stew, or chicken stew as they like. On days when you think of a home cooked meal made by your mom, Hyangwusikdang is my strong recommendation.

- Location: 60, Samryeyeok-ro, Samrye-eup, Wanju-gun, Jeonbuk

Everything is there in Bongdong

Manmulsanghoi

Manmulsanghoi, located in ginger market alley in downtown Bongdong, is a long established 47 year old store. As the name suggest, the store sells an innumerable amount of various goods. It is said that in the past when the store was run by the founder, he would personally look for the goods in the store and bring them to the customer. Now his son has inherited the store and manages it. Currently, as the store is well organized, customers can pick out their own items. Of course the old regulars still tell the owner what they want, and wait for him to bring the items to them.

Manmulsanghoi is harmoniously equipped with not only memorable items accumulated by the founder, but also retro items popular with the young and chosen sensitively by the young owner.

- Location: 134-17, Bongdongdongseo-ro, Bongdong-eup. Wanju-gun, Jeonbuk