Well before dawn, in a sprawling, hangar-like structure just south of Seoul's Han River, a loosely choreographed morning routine begins. Handcarts stacked 10 deep with plastic crates whisk live fish through narrow lanes lined with tanks. Merchants shovel waist-high mounds of mussels. And round a corner, the wailing klaxon of a front-end loader warns of an incoming pallet of frozen squid.
Shifts start early at Seoul's Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market. While the city sleeps, a thriving trade in all things aquatic and edible is under way. Bleary-eyed bidders clasping steaming cups of tea gather at the morning wholesale auction, where auctioneers hop from foot to foot, barking a staccato sales banter. Entire lots are bought and sold with little more than a nod.
When the rosy dawn light floods the city, the 80-year-old market's focus shifts from the auction to 700 individual vendors, who occupy the first floor of the three-level, 66,000 square metre complex.
Seafood arrives at Noryangjin from 15 ports across the Korean peninsula, with boats trawling the waters off Japan, China and Russia to provide much of the 350 tonnes of seafood traded at the market each day.
Choi Young-seob, a chef, has been coming to Noryangjin for more than 20 years. 'This market is the largest and has the best and freshest selection,' he says. 'But this year everything is so expensive.'
Despite the volatility of live fish prices, there's a brisk trade as families stroll through the market inspecting the catch, with children shrieking as they spot the monsters of the deep.