Offline Danggeun Market's 'Recycling Sharing Market' Reopens

Seoul City Resumes After 1 Year and 6 Months... First Introduced in 2011, Suspended Last Year Due to COVID-19
Up to 500,000 Won Support... Use of Shopping Bags Instead of Plastic Bags, Drive-Thru Method Also Introduced
Expecting Spread of Reuse Culture

The Saemaeul Women's Association of Daerim 1-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, has resumed the Green Market after a year and a half.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] “We have reopened the market that residents have eagerly awaited after a year and a half. While ensuring COVID-19 prevention measures, we plan to hold it on the third week of every month. Since it had a positive impact on the surrounding commercial areas and was a source of vitality for the local community, expectations are high going forward.” (Kim Kyung-ae, General Secretary of the Saemaeul Women’s Association in Daerim 1-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu)

Parks and plazas used by Seoul residents are being transformed into sharing markets where recyclable items are traded. This is the offline version of the secondhand trading online platform ‘Danggeun Market’ led by residents. The sharing market, which started in 2011 with support from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, was completely suspended last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic but reopened this year with restrictions on the number of participants according to social distancing levels.

According to Seoul City on the 20th, citizen-participation green markets and district-led permanent markets have resumed after a year and a half. The markets were postponed once last year due to the spread of COVID-19 and eventually canceled as the second wave began, but this year, following repeated requests from citizens and districts, they have been reorganized with strengthened quarantine measures and expanded participation.

The green markets and permanent markets are projects promoted by Seoul City to raise awareness of green culture through recycling and reuse. The green markets are operated by organizations such as women’s associations, volunteer groups, and resident autonomy committees, utilizing indoor and outdoor spaces such as apartment vacant lots, parks, and community centers.

Since their operation began in 2017, the green markets and permanent markets have received great responses from citizens and districts. The citizen-led green markets have been held more than 1,600 times across over 300 events annually, and the permanent markets have been continuously operated in five districts.

A Seoul City Climate and Environment Headquarters official explained, “Since these markets have been led by residents and organizations with sustainability in mind, many places hope to hold them while complying with quarantine rules. Currently, about 150 applications have been received, and Seoul City plans to support them sequentially.”

The Resource Circulation Division of the Climate and Environment Headquarters, the department in charge, plans to support 180 to 300 citizens participating in the green markets this year with a minimum of 300,000 KRW and a maximum of 500,000 KRW. When opening a market, 100,000 KRW is supported up to five times. Additional support will be provided to outstanding individuals and groups through mid-term evaluations. For permanent markets organized by districts, up to 3,000,000 KRW will be supported for 10 districts.

This year, with the prolonged COVID-19 situation, safe market operation is the top priority. The plan is to operate clean, diverse, and sustainable markets. In particular, considering the sharp increase in single-person households and disposable product use during the pandemic, the use of disposable plastic bags will be banned, and bringing reusable shopping bags will be actively encouraged. Disposable products will also be included in the restricted items for trading. Last year, plastic waste increased by 20% compared to 2019, and paper waste surged by 25%. The increase in waste vinyl is estimated to be even more significant.

The scope of participation will also be expanded. While the focus was previously on revitalizing offline secondhand trading to root recycling and reuse culture in civil society, this year, reflecting changes in the trading environment, both online and offline methods will be used, and a ‘drive-through’ method will be introduced. Strategies have also been established to sell secondhand goods suitable for the venue to ensure the market does not become a one-time event.

Jung Mi-seon, Director of the Resource Circulation Division at Seoul City, said, “Although there are concerns about reopening the markets due to COVID-19, we hope that by complying with quarantine rules, the markets will be revitalized and citizens can experience a culture of reuse in their daily lives.”

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