Sokcho market souvenir gangjeong with parking voucher: Ibuja Mayak

Today I'm bringing you a Sokcho Central Market must-visit and a great Sokcho snack souvenir recommendation — Ibuja Mayak Gotgan! Let's get right into the review!!

Ibuja Mayak Gotgan (이부자마약곳간), a Sokcho Central Market favorite, is located in stall 137 on the 1st floor of Sokcho Tourist Fisheries Market.

Ibuja Mayak Gotgan

Where to park at Sokcho Market: the 30-minute voucher for the surface lot across the street

If you use the public parking lot across from Sokcho Central Market, Ibuja Mayak Gotgan will give you a parking voucher! It's only ₩900 an hour to begin with, which is already cheap, but spend over 15,000 won here and you'll also get a 30-minute discount voucher — worth keeping in mind!

Just a heads up — the voucher applies to the surface lot across from Sokcho Market, not the underground lot at the fisheries market, so don't get confused when you visit! We parked in the fisheries market's underground lot first and the voucher didn't apply, so we just left ㅠㅠ Still cheap at ₩1,000 an hour though haha.

Sokcho Tourist Fisheries Market at 2pm on a Sunday: crowds and waiting time

We visited just past 2pm on a Sunday, and being the weekend, the market was buzzing with people, as expected haha.

It's a famous Sokcho Central Market spot so there were a lot of people, but once you pick your items they pack them up right away, so the turnover is quick and you don't have to wait long — perfect for anyone looking for a Sokcho souvenir snack.

How Ibuja Mayak Gotgan makes its rice gangjeong

Ibuja Mayak Gotgan is known for its gangjeong (crispy grain snack) — they use 5 kinds of grain (brown rice, buckwheat, white rice, black rice, and yellow rice), steam them, dry them, then age them for 6 months to fully remove residual moisture from the grains before making the gangjeong, which is said to make them extra crispy.

These aged grains are made and sold fresh on the same day, so you get to enjoy them even more fresh and delicious haha.

If they feel a bit soggy from humidity, just microwave them for 20 seconds or lightly pan-fry on low heat — they'll get a nice scorched-rice aroma and become even crispier.

They're also running a receipt review event, so keep that in mind! Write a review and they'll give you a tasting gangjeong haha.

Tasting each grain at the sampling counter before you choose

There's a whole row of round gangjeong lined up by type, and the tasting corner is well set up with toothpicks so you can try each one haha.

Each grain had a slightly different nutty flavor, which was nice, and being able to try a variety before ordering was even better haha. The staff were friendly too, so it was a pleasant visit haha.

Prices and packing: two bags of the 10,000-won 8-piece set

The 8-piece set is ₩10,000, the 12-piece set is ₩15,000, and 4 pieces are ₩5,000.

I ordered two bags of the 8-piece set haha. They come in a dedicated bag sized just right, which helps prevent the pieces from bumping into each other and breaking while you carry them.

Excited on the way back after buying a bunch of snacks, I couldn't wait to try them haha. One bag for us to eat and one for a gift — perfect!

Trying black rice, white rice and yellow rice gangjeong back at the hotel

We brought them back to where we were staying, and even after being carried in the car, nothing was broken or misshapen. The instructions for how to enjoy them best are printed right on the bag, so don't worry even if you didn't take a photo of the banner in the shop — just come as you are!

The bag has 8 different types of gangjeong inside — the visual is insane.

The black rice, white rice, and yellow rice ones were the tastiest for me. Each had slightly different nuttiness and texture, and none stuck to my teeth too much, so I really enjoyed eating them.

If you're looking for a Sokcho Central Market must-visit, why not check out Ibuja Mayak Gotgan?