Direct Marketplaces Supporting COVID-19 Affected Farms at 9 Seoul Subway Stations

Seoul Metro to Sell Local Agricultural and Specialty Products Including Dried Persimmons, Garlic, and Gat Kimchi Until the 6th of Next Month

The scene of the 'Cheongyang-gun Excellent Agricultural Products Direct Transaction Pop-up Store Market' event held at Wangrip-ri History in Seoul last December.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Regional agricultural products and specialties boasting excellent quality, such as Hoengseong Anheung Steamed Buns, Wando Seaweed, Sangju Dried Persimmons, and Yeosu Gat Kimchi, will be showcased at major stations of the Seoul subway.

Seoul Metro announced on the 24th that it will operate a 'Local Specialty Direct Market' to help local farms affected by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in celebration of the company's 3rd anniversary.

This event is held in cooperation with 18 local governments, including Gapyeong-gun and Jincheon-gun, organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to revitalize the rural economy and support farms struggling due to COVID-19. Local farms receive support for sales channels at low cost by utilizing idle spaces within subway stations.

The direct market will be held at a total of nine locations from the 25th until the 6th of next month, including Jamsil Station and Sadang Station on Line 2, Cheonho Station, Wangsimni Station, Omokgyo Station on Line 5, Gongdeok Station on Line 6, and Express Bus Terminal Station, Isu Station, and Hakdong Station on Line 7. Visitors can find a variety of agricultural and specialty products such as abalone, dried persimmons, tomatoes, and Gat Kimchi.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19 due to on-site sales, the company has thoroughly prepared hygiene measures and plans to assign at least one local government and event official each, in addition to sales personnel, guiding customers to maintain a distance of at least 1 meter when purchasing goods.

This event is part of the urban-rural win-win policy and is an expansion of the open popup stores that the company has been operating with local governments since last year. Since February last year, Seoul Metro has signed agreements with 10 local governments, including Namhae-gun, and held 12 sales events, achieving total sales of approximately 90 million KRW.

Kim Sang-beom, CEO of Seoul Metro, said, "The Seoul subway, used by 7.5 million people daily on average, is an attractive space as a venue for the direct market," adding, "We hope this event, prepared together with local governments, will be a good opportunity to help farms struggling due to COVID-19."

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