Yeoju Market (5th, 10th)

There are no records about Yeoju Market in old literature, but during the Goryeo Dynasty, markets began to appear in places without them, trading daily necessities. Bartering was prevalent, with rice, gold, and silver acting as currency substitutes, and exchange rates were sometimes set by policy. A judicial system was established to punish profiteering. At that time, as a production site in Yeoju, there was a place called Deungsin Market in the current Daesin-myeon area, but its exact location or products are unknown.

Other places included Banggeungokcheo, Sinjicheo, and Sinnaiicheo. In the early Joseon Dynasty, agricultural policies were emphasized and commerce was suppressed, but after experiencing the Japanese and Manchu invasions, private trade became prominent, and the number of local markets increased. As commerce and industry gradually developed, means of using the Han River emerged, leading to the creation of government ships, military ships, and private ships. During the reign of King Sejong, in Yeoju Yanghwa-gun, there were 15 ships with a capacity of 250 seoks of rice, and including smaller private ships, about 20 vessels. By this time, commerce, industry, and transportation seem to have been highly developed. Merchant ships using the Han River mainly transported agricultural and forestry products, and on return trips, they imported marine products from outside. This was Yanghwa Market, the first market in Yeoju.