Ganggyeong, the Geum River market town that still salts the country's shrimp

Ganggyeong (강경) is a river town in Nonsan. It was once spoken of alongside Daegu as one of the busiest markets on the peninsula. The boats are gone, but the salted shrimp and the bank are still here.

Where the river used to do the work

For centuries the Geum River was navigable as far as Ganggyeong. Seafood from the west coast came upstream to be salted, stored and sent inland. When the railway and later the roads took that trade away, the town kept its specialty: jeotgal (젓갈), the fermented seafood that seasons kimchi across the country. Wholesalers still line the main street, with tubs of shrimp, squid and pollock roe set out on the pavement.

Reading a tub of salted shrimp

Saeujeot, or salted shrimp, is graded by the month of the catch, and shopkeepers will point out which tub is which. Tasting from the spoon before you buy is normal here. Most shops will seal a small container tightly enough for a suitcase.

새우젓은 잡은 달에 따라 오젓, 육젓, 추젓으로 나뉩니다.

The line above names the three grades: ojeot from May, yukjeot from June and chujeot from autumn. Yukjeot is plump and pale, and it is the most prized of the three. It is priced to match.

The bank, the hill, and lunch

A short walk from the market stands the red-brick former Hanil Bank branch, built in 1913 and now a small museum of the town's history. Above the water, Oknyeobong (옥녀봉) is a low hill with a pavilion and a long view across the Geum. A restored thatched house near its top marks the site of a Baptist service held in 1896. For lunch, restaurants near the market serve jeotgal baekban, which is rice with a spread of small salted-seafood dishes. Ask for extra plain rice.

Ganggyeong Station is on the Honam Line, about two and a half hours from Yongsan. The jeotgal festival in October brings coach tours, so a weekday in any other month is quieter.