How a Seoul market inspired me to write a children's book

When I visited Korea for the first time in 2016, I stayed in the Mangwon-dong neighborhood of Seoul's Mapo-gu District. After having a latte at a cafe, I continued walking toward Mangwon Market, which has been around since 1975.

I was surprised to see a market so alive with most of the stalls still open. Since it was fall, the weather was chilly, so I started to crave warm food and found that I had come to the right place.

I kept thinking about visiting the market again in the morning. So I went back there with all my camera gear, and was greeted with a more vibrant market alive with more shoppers and vendors displaying their fresh produce than the night before.

My visit to Mangwon Market was so unforgettable that after returning home, I thought of creating an educational activity book based on my trips there. "Let's Go To the Market, Sijang-ae gaja!" or "Ayo Kita Ke Pasar" in Indonesian featured the photographs I took at Mangwon Market. 

I also drew cute illustrations of products at the market, and each item has its name in English, Korean and Indonesian in the book. 

I created this book in the hope that both moms and children can enjoy it while learning about Korea, as well as to promote Mangwon Market as a place for foreign visitors. 

I highly recommend visiting this vibrant market on your next trip to Korea.

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean. (enny0611@korea.kr)