Seoul Yangnyeongsi Market (서울 약령시장)

"Yangnyeongsi," which literally means medicine city district, refers to a central Oriental medicine district formed near major cities where medicinal herbs are collected and produced. Yangneongsi were first established by royal order during the Joseon dynasty for the purpose of effective production, distribution and management of medicinal products and herbs.

Seoul Yangnyeongsi Market history is relatively short, having formed naturally in the mid-1960s by medicinal herb merchants who gathered here seeking to sell their products with the city bus terminal and Cheongnyangni Station as their central base. Originally, these merchants came to Seoul through the old Seongdong Station and Chyeongnyangni Station after the Korean War, seeking to sell medicinal herbs and vegetation products that were cultivated and collected in the Gyeonggi-do and Gwangwon-do regions. This small market that was once open on an empty plot of land was later authorized as an official market establishment. Road and railroad developments between Gangwon-do and Seoul were followed and by the 1970s, the market grew into what is now seen today. The name Seoul Yangnyeongsi Market was given by the Seoul mayor in 1995.