Why Did Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, Embark on a Livelihood Tour Visiting Traditional Markets for Chuseok?

From the 13th, the district mayor and merchants' association will meet merchants and listen to their difficulties through the COVID-19 Livelihood Tour together

Jung Won-oh, the mayor of Seongdong-gu, visited Majang Livestock Market last Lunar New Year and purchased beef. Starting from the 13th of this month, Seongdong-gu will begin listening to merchants' opinions, starting with Yongdap Sangga Market.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, visited Yongdap Sangga Market Customer Center on the 20th of last month and is having a conversation with market merchants and residents.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, will hold a traditional market event from the 11th to the 18th to revitalize local markets.

As COVID-19 has prolonged and social distancing has been emphasized, the number of customers visiting markets in person to purchase goods has decreased. In response, Seongdong-gu has prepared this Chuseok event to encourage local residents to visit markets and to share the difficulties faced by local merchants.

The district will hold a prize giveaway event for customers visiting nine traditional markets and shopping districts in the area, including Geumnam Market, Ttukdo Market, and Majang Livestock Market. At designated locations in each market, customers who submit their purchase receipts will receive Onnuri gift certificates or market-specific gift certificates on a first-come, first-served basis. Additionally, prizes such as masks, hand sanitizers, and cleansing tissues will be awarded through a lottery to provide interest and convenience to users, thereby revitalizing the traditional markets.

Furthermore, starting from the 13th, a COVID-19 livelihood tour will be conducted with the mayor and merchant associations, beginning with visits to Yongdap Shopping District and the shopping district in front of Hanyang University. The mayor plans to meet merchants individually at each market to encourage them and listen to their difficulties, capturing the vivid voices from the field.

To prepare for the increase in market visitors, quarantine measures will be strengthened to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Responsible officials will visit traditional markets to check whether merchants and customers are wearing masks, verify visitor logs and the availability of hand sanitizers, and conduct announcements regarding quarantine guidelines. These efforts aim to strictly adhere to safety protocols and support a safe traditional market event.

In addition, the district opened the Yongdap Shopping District Customer Center following the Majang Livestock Market in 2017 and the Wangsimni Doseondong Shopping District Customer Center this year, to strengthen the market self-sustainability of local shopping districts that have faced great difficulties such as economic downturn and customer decline due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

The district plans to continue supporting events during periods of high demand such as holidays, improve market environments, and devise ways for customers to use the markets more conveniently, actively working to revitalize traditional markets in the region.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, stated, “With the local commercial district unstable due to COVID-19, the increase of large marts and corporate supermarkets, and rising prices, we prepared this event to comfort the merchants who are facing many difficulties. Through the traditional market livelihood tour, we will listen carefully to the voices of merchants and reflect them in district administration.”

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