Blanket sales boom in Gwangjang Market, but cash payments have tax service losing sleep
Published: 27 Dec. 2025, 07:00
Updated: 29 Dec. 2025, 11:49
![Shoppers look at blankets at Gwangjang Market in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Dec. 22. [KWAK JOO-YOUNG]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/12/29/ca558dfb-41f9-4bb4-8796-a6cbf0b1eab8.jpg)
Shoppers look at blankets at Gwangjang Market in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Dec. 22. [KWAK JOO-YOUNG]
At around 10 a.m. on Dec. 22, a short walk down a side alley just off the main strip of Gwangjang Market in Jongno District, central Seoul, revealed merchants calling out to customers haltingly in foreign languages. The narrow passage, known as “blanket alley” among shoppers, was crowded with dozens of foreign tourists despite it being a weekday.
“ Dong bei!” echoed through the air as merchants peddled winter blankets in Chinese, along with song bei, or cotton quilts, while assuring customers that the goods were “made in Korea!”
Along the roughly 50-meter (164-foot) stretch, blankets were stacked so high in each shop that they nearly reached the ceiling, with more piled along both sides of the walkway — leaving barely enough room for two adults to pass shoulder to shoulder.
A merchant who wished to remain anonymous said business can be brisk.
“On good days, we sell around 200 blankets a day, each priced at 50,000 won [$34],” he said. “It’s common for a single tourist to buy dozens at once as gifts.”
![Signs announcing that New Taiwan dollars and U.S. dollars are accepted are put up in the ″blanket alley″ in Gwangjang Market in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Dec. 22. [KWAK JOO-YOUNG]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/12/29/54da9bfd-e71c-451b-aefd-67ea6a3ef38e.jpg)
Signs announcing that New Taiwan dollars and U.S. dollars are accepted are put up in the ″blanket alley″ in Gwangjang Market in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Dec. 22. [KWAK JOO-YOUNG]
Some bedding shops have hired foreign staff to assist with interpretation, while others accept New Taiwan dollars. Although Gwangjang Market is best known for food such as gimbap (seaweed rice rolls) and mung bean pancakes, it has recently emerged as a “must-visit destination for blanket shopping” among tourists from countries such as Taiwan and Singapore.
“A reputation for low prices and good quality has spread locally,” said a representative of Gwangjang Market’s merchants association.
Eom I-jeong, a tourist from Taiwan visiting Korea, said such purchases would be impossible back home.
“You can’t buy blankets this pretty and affordable in Taiwan,” Eom said. “At department stores, you’d have to pay several hundred thousand won, so I’m buying them here for my parents as well.”
Many tourists visiting the alley compared prices on social media or video-called family and friends while shopping. One shop owner said the number of customers who found the market through social media has risen sharply.
“It seems to be paying off for nearby shops that spend about 2 million won a month on Instagram Reels and other ads targeting foreigners,” the owner said.
Merchants also offer services such as vacuum-sealing bulky blankets so they can be packed in luggage easily or shipping them overseas for an additional fee of 10,000 to 20,000 won.
![A shopper video calls an acquaintance while buying blankets at Gwangjang Market in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Dec. 22. [KWAK JOO-YOUNG]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/12/29/f47f0b5f-063a-43ec-a57d-2c99c091b12c.jpg)
A shopper video calls an acquaintance while buying blankets at Gwangjang Market in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Dec. 22. [KWAK JOO-YOUNG]
While the blanket alley is credited with revitalizing the market and earning valuable foreign currency as a tourist hot spot, it has also drawn criticism for becoming a hub of tax evasion. Transactions without tax invoices or cash receipts are common, critics say.
During visits by the JoongAng Ilbo, five out of 10 bedding shops surveyed charged prices about 10 percent higher when payments were made by card instead of cash.
When a tourist asked whether a cash receipt could be issued after a purchase, one shop owner replied that it would be difficult. Penny, a tourist from Taiwan, said she hurried to exchange cash after learning she would be charged more if she paid by card.
A man who runs a bedding shop in the alley said off-the-books transactions are widespread. “Undocumented transactions are quietly taking place throughout the supply chain, from wholesalers to retail shops,” he said.
An employee at a local bedding supplier claimed that some merchants underreport their monthly income by as much as 90 percent.
![A merchant vacuum-seals a blanket for a customer at Gwangjang Market in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Dec. 22. [KWAK JOO-YOUNG]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/12/29/57dc0ac9-2a00-4285-a9cb-8d20020e1c2b.jpg)
A merchant vacuum-seals a blanket for a customer at Gwangjang Market in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Dec. 22. [KWAK JOO-YOUNG]
Charging different prices for cash and card payments or failing to issue receipts violates the Specialized Credit Finance Business Act. The National Tax Service (NTS) has classified bedding retailers under the category of “household textile retail” as businesses required to issue cash receipts.
An NTS official said in a phone call with the JoongAng Ilbo that authorities are aware of practices such as pushing for cash payments and undocumented transactions and are continuing enforcement measures in cooperation with relevant agencies.
Experts say stronger guidance and enforcement are needed to ensure transparent tax collection, particularly in tourist-heavy areas. Oh Moon-sung, a professor of tax accounting at Hanyang Women’s University, said such practices appear aimed at avoiding value-added tax, adding that it’s an issue the tax authorities must address.
Kim Woo-cheol, a professor of taxation at the University of Seoul, added that even if foreign tourists often let such matters slide, passing card fees on to consumers or conducting undocumented transactions is “clearly illegal.”
“Tax authorities need to strengthen guidance and enforcement to secure tax revenue,” Kim said.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KWAK JOO-YOUNG,OH SAM-GWON [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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