Seung-ro Lee, Seongbuk-gu Mayor, Rolls Up Sleeves to Revive Traditional Markets Hit Hard by COVID-19 Resurgence

Seung-ro Lee, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu, is delivering about 150 ice packs to a butcher shop in the traditional market.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro) is carrying out comprehensive activities to revive traditional markets, which have been hit hard by the resurgence of COVID-19, receiving positive responses from both merchants and residents.

The initiative began with Mayor Lee Seung-ro’s visit to restaurants included in the movement paths of confirmed COVID-19 cases. Despite these restaurants becoming targets of avoidance and suffering double or triple hardships simply because confirmed cases had visited, the mayor quietly showed support by using these establishments.

This was to improve the problem of citizens’ avoidance behavior, even though thorough epidemiological investigations and strict disinfection measures ensured safe use, and to encourage merchants. When Seongbuk-gu was included in the movement paths of confirmed cases during the early domestic inflow of COVID-19, Mayor Lee also split his schedule to use affected shops and restaurants.

Upon hearing about Mayor Lee’s special restaurant visits, Seongbuk-gu employees voluntarily joined in. Not only Seongbuk-gu Office and all 20 neighborhood community centers but also affiliated institution employees visited nearby traditional markets for lunch or ordered lunch boxes to lend their support.

The owner of a restaurant near Jangwi Traditional Market, who has been there for 12 years, said, “Sales have dropped to one-tenth of the usual, and we are going through such a painful time that we are considering closing down,” adding, “The fact that community center and district office employees deliberately come and use our services is at least giving us some breathing room.”

A Seongbuk-gu official stated, “In August, Seongbuk-gu became a hotspot for the resurgence of COVID-19, and the local economy is facing many difficulties,” adding, “Seongbuk-gu employees are actively trying to use local restaurants and traditional markets to provide even a small amount of help to nearby restaurants and commercial districts.”

Seongbuk-gu employees also launched an ice pack sharing campaign. After learning that traditional markets require many ice packs and that merchants purchase them at 400 won each, they installed sharing boxes, which received enthusiastic responses with about 150 ice packs collected in just three days. The employees sort, disinfect, and distribute reusable ice packs to butcher shops and fish markets.

Merchants are also actively responding. Instead of requesting market disinfection from the administration, they are applying for disinfection supplies shared by Seongbuk-gu and conducting disinfection themselves.

Additionally, temperature checks are conducted at every market entrance as a basic measure, and hand sanitizers, portable sprays, and disinfectants are provided to create COVID-19 safe zones. The administration handles disinfection in areas difficult for merchants to reach, restoring the ‘COVID-19 Clean Autonomous District’ status that existed before the resurgence.

Mayor Lee Seung-ro of Seongbuk-gu said, “We are conducting disinfection measures stronger than the Disease Control Headquarters’ manual, and since market merchants are also paying special attention to preventing COVID-19, the traditional market environment is safer and more hygienic than ever,” urging, “Please use traditional markets and local stores a lot.”

Meanwhile, ahead of the Chuseok holiday, Seongbuk-gu will conduct large-scale special disinfection across all 20 neighborhoods on the 24th of this month and October 6th. This is to encourage the use of local commercial districts and to block the possibility of COVID-19 spreading during the holiday period by disinfecting every alley together with residents, merchants, and the administration.

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