Noryangjin Fish Market - Workers at Dawn
- 6 years ago
Noryangjin Fish Market is one of Korea’s largest seafood markets, open 24/7, 365 days a year.
Let’s zoom in on a day at the fish market, the earliest start of a workday in Korea.
Noryangjin Fish Market is located in Dongjak-gu, Seoul.
This place comes to life just after midnight with trucks filled with seafood coming directly from the sea.
A whopping 300 tons of marine products are traded here every day, which is about 50% of metropolitan volumes of seafood.
"I’m from Tongyoung. Sales are bad, so I only brought yellowtail that is in season currently."
This is the auction house.
All the marine products here are distributed to local markets and restaurants through the auction process.
The early morning auction starts at 1 o’clock with four sub-auctions for the different types of seafood.
The dealer is calling out for wholesale merchants. Apparently, spoken words aren’t very important here. It’s numbers that matter.
"Rather than just announcing prices, I shout and make noises during the auction to add amusement and create a rhythm.
This is to stimulate the highest bids possible."
There are 11 auction dealers and some 200 commission merchants in the market. Interestingly enough, all the participants are wearing hats.
"The main auctioneers wear black hats with leaf patterns and the assistant salespeople wear blue hats.
The assistant salespeople have the rights to make purchases on behalf of middlemen.
Only these certified agents can participate in the auctions."
The highlight of the night starts at 3 am with a live fish auction. The atmosphere is getting more intense with wholesale merchants trying to buy the best live fish at the lowest price.
The more the bidding, the more vibrant it gets.
All the auctions for the day ended around 6 am, just before dawn. The dealers and commission merchants can finally relax.
"The supplies are limited due to the cold weather, but it’s not too bad."
Transactions take place immediately on-site, and the retail dealers are getting ready for customers.
"Our work schedule is the opposite of ordinary people. We work from 11:30 p.m. to 9 a.m. and the executives work till 11 a.m."
The market is composed of nearly 1,200 shops with an abundant amount of marine products, including live and fresh fish, shellfish, and deep-sea produce.
Established in 1927 near Seoul Station, it moved to its current home at Noryangjin in 1971.
Over 2,000 people make a living here. The face of the market has changed over time, but the bustling of diligent workers remains the same.
"I’ve been working at the market for 33 years to educate my children and help them settle in life. "
"The harder I work, the more I earn. I enjoy it because I can earn quite a lot."
The market draws numerous customers throughout the year. An average of 30,000 people visit daily with sales of over 900- thousand us dollars.
"Here, I can select any delicacy directly out of the aquarium and at reasonable prices. The pro
Let’s zoom in on a day at the fish market, the earliest start of a workday in Korea.
Noryangjin Fish Market is located in Dongjak-gu, Seoul.
This place comes to life just after midnight with trucks filled with seafood coming directly from the sea.
A whopping 300 tons of marine products are traded here every day, which is about 50% of metropolitan volumes of seafood.
"I’m from Tongyoung. Sales are bad, so I only brought yellowtail that is in season currently."
This is the auction house.
All the marine products here are distributed to local markets and restaurants through the auction process.
The early morning auction starts at 1 o’clock with four sub-auctions for the different types of seafood.
The dealer is calling out for wholesale merchants. Apparently, spoken words aren’t very important here. It’s numbers that matter.
"Rather than just announcing prices, I shout and make noises during the auction to add amusement and create a rhythm.
This is to stimulate the highest bids possible."
There are 11 auction dealers and some 200 commission merchants in the market. Interestingly enough, all the participants are wearing hats.
"The main auctioneers wear black hats with leaf patterns and the assistant salespeople wear blue hats.
The assistant salespeople have the rights to make purchases on behalf of middlemen.
Only these certified agents can participate in the auctions."
The highlight of the night starts at 3 am with a live fish auction. The atmosphere is getting more intense with wholesale merchants trying to buy the best live fish at the lowest price.
The more the bidding, the more vibrant it gets.
All the auctions for the day ended around 6 am, just before dawn. The dealers and commission merchants can finally relax.
"The supplies are limited due to the cold weather, but it’s not too bad."
Transactions take place immediately on-site, and the retail dealers are getting ready for customers.
"Our work schedule is the opposite of ordinary people. We work from 11:30 p.m. to 9 a.m. and the executives work till 11 a.m."
The market is composed of nearly 1,200 shops with an abundant amount of marine products, including live and fresh fish, shellfish, and deep-sea produce.
Established in 1927 near Seoul Station, it moved to its current home at Noryangjin in 1971.
Over 2,000 people make a living here. The face of the market has changed over time, but the bustling of diligent workers remains the same.
"I’ve been working at the market for 33 years to educate my children and help them settle in life. "
"The harder I work, the more I earn. I enjoy it because I can earn quite a lot."
The market draws numerous customers throughout the year. An average of 30,000 people visit daily with sales of over 900- thousand us dollars.
"Here, I can select any delicacy directly out of the aquarium and at reasonable prices. The pro