President Moon Visits Namdaemun Market: "We Must Shake Off Excessive Anxiety and Promote Active Consumption"

Visiting Traditional Market to Encourage Overcoming Economic Impact of 'COVID-19'... Purchasing Red Ginseng for Disease Control Headquarters Staff

President Moon Jae-in is talking with merchants at Namdaemun Market on the 12th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] President Moon Jae-in said on the 12th regarding the COVID-19 situation, "The fundamental measure is for the people to quickly shake off excessive anxiety and actively resume daily activities, especially economic and consumption activities."

President Moon visited Namdaemun Market in Jung-gu, Seoul, around 11:40 a.m. that day, saying, "I came with the hope that people would visit traditional markets more often." This was intended to encourage economic activities that had been subdued due to the spread of COVID-19.

After touring the market, President Moon held a luncheon meeting with merchants and said, "Traditional markets are becoming increasingly difficult, and in the midst of that, COVID-19 is causing a significant blow." He expressed concern, saying, "Namdaemun Market is a place frequented by many foreign tourists, so the proportion of sales from foreigners is quite large, which may be exacerbating the difficulties." He added, "The government plans to provide maximum support so that small business owners, self-employed people, and tourism companies can overcome difficulties through financial support or marketing assistance."

President Moon said, "Of course, we must be vigilant and put all efforts into quarantine for new infectious diseases, but that is the government's responsibility," and added, "If the public follows the behavioral guidelines and instructions taught by the quarantine headquarters, they can maintain safety sufficiently, so there is no need for excessive anxiety, which has been confirmed."

He continued, "Even if you have been in the path of a confirmed patient, experts explain that thorough disinfection ensures complete safety," and said, "It is not helpful to our people's lives or the livelihood economy if people become overly withdrawn and avoid traditional markets." He urged, "I hope the people will actively resume activities soon," and emphasized, "The government will also do its utmost to revitalize our economy as soon as this situation ends."

President Moon Jae-in is talking with merchants at Namdaemun Market on the 12th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Before the meeting, President Moon toured inside the market and encouraged citizens with words like, "Please stay strong. Things will get better soon." One merchant complained, "The number of customers has dropped to one-third compared to before the COVID-19 situation. There are no people walking around." Another merchant appealed, "The economy is very bad. Please save us." Some merchants were even seen turning away from President Moon and going inside their shops.

President Moon stopped by a ginseng shop in the market and asked the merchant, "Red ginseng is good for immunity, so foreign tourists, especially Chinese tourists, must have bought a lot, but now it has completely stopped, right?" The merchant replied, "It seems to have dropped by more than 70%," and said, "I am very worried."

President Moon encouraged, "The government will do its best to support small business owners and the self-employed," and said, "The situation will calm down soon, so let's overcome this together." He purchased 30 boxes of red ginseng extract for the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency staff working hard at the ginseng shop.

At the scene that day, government officials including Park Young-sun, Minister of SMEs and Startups, and from the Blue House, Kim Sang-jo, Chief of Policy Office, and In Tae-yeon, Secretary for Self-Employment, attended.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.