[Interview] Park Seong-su, Songpa District Mayor: "Revitalizing Local Economy Through Alleyway Market Activation to Lead Economic Recovery and Accelerate Return to Normal Life"

September 30th 'Alley-type Shopping District Designation Ordinance' Enacted... Songpa-gu 'Alley-type Shopping District' Designation Allows Support Equivalent to Traditional Markets and Shopping Districts

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “Now is the time to focus on revitalizing the economy centered on neighborhood commercial districts for the recovery of daily life in local communities.”

Park Seong-su, Mayor of Songpa District, said in an interview with Asia Economy, “We have rolled up our sleeves to overcome social and economic difficulties and help residents restore a safe daily life,” and spoke about various measures to revitalize the local economy.

Among them, measures centered on ‘neighborhood commercial districts’ stand out. Mayor Park said, “Songpa District has many traditional markets, but there are also many specialized streets densely populated with small business stores, such as food alleys,” adding, “We will focus support on those who have been severely affected by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic to inject vitality into the stagnant local economy.”

To this end, Mayor Park enacted the ‘Ordinance on Designation of Neighborhood-type Shopping Districts’ on September 30. Accordingly, when Songpa District designates a ‘neighborhood-type shopping district,’ it can receive support equivalent to that of traditional markets and shopping districts. Regardless of industry type, if 30 or more small business-operated stores are densely located within an area of 2,000㎡ or less, they can apply. The formation of a merchants’ association or organization is also one of the key conditions.

Mayor Park explained, “Previously, existing shopping districts could only be designated if retail and wholesale stores accounted for more than 50% of the area, which excluded specialized streets and food alleys densely populated with small business stores from various supports,” adding, “With the enactment of this ordinance, if designated as a ‘neighborhood-type shopping district,’ they can receive various commercial district revitalization projects such as brand development and promotion, online marketing support projects, and consulting. Also, handling of Onnuri gift certificates will be possible.”

Songpa District is also implementing nurturing projects that expand foundational projects along with living commercial district-based projects to respond to rapid changes in consumption structure. Living commercial districts refer to commercial areas where essential daily goods can be purchased and used within a 10-minute walk from the residential life core area. Among these, living commercial district foundational and nurturing projects are aimed at preventing consumer outflow from developed commercial districts, enhancing loyalty between residents and merchants, and spreading a sense of local community. Mayor Park said, “Last July, the living commercial district foundational project area in Garak-dong and the living commercial district foundational project area in Bangi-dong this October were selected as living commercial district nurturing project sites for two consecutive times for the first time among Seoul’s autonomous districts, and various projects for commercial district revitalization are being carried out.”

Currently, Songpa District is prominently conducting the nurturing of ‘Community Stores,’ which integrate services necessary for residents into stores, and ‘Handmade Stores,’ which use natural ingredients to create flavors.

In addition, projects reflecting various demands of local residents and merchants, such as publishing living commercial district newsletters, marketing study groups, and ‘Together Stores,’ where local issues are solved jointly by residents and merchants, are underway. Going forward, the district plans to nurture Garak-dong and Bangi-dong as centers of Songpa’s living commercial districts by reflecting the unique characteristics of the two areas.

Since November 3, the district office has been operating an on-site dedicated window for loss compensation to help small business owners who suffered damage due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic recover. The target includes small business owners and small enterprises that suffered serious business losses due to gathering bans and restrictions on business hours. Mayor Park said, “The damage borne by small business owners to prevent the spread of infectious diseases was enormous,” adding, “For small business owners who find it difficult to visit in person due to circumstances such as being sole proprietors, Hope Planners will visit the site directly to guide various support policies and assist with loss compensation applications.”

Along with the phased recovery of daily life, Songpa Love Gift Certificates were additionally issued by 10 billion KRW. Mayor Park explained the reason for the additional issuance, saying, “Last year, a total of 28 billion KRW, and this year, 40 billion KRW worth of Songpa Love Gift Certificates were issued in the first and second halves. As the number of issuances accumulates, the fixed demand base increases, and due to promotional effects, they have been sold out early every time, showing enthusiastic response.”

In addition, the district plans to invigorate the local economy by holding festivals and night markets that relieve the burden on small business owners, and to ensure balanced development of the local economy from neighborhood commercial districts to traditional markets through traditional market events to stimulate consumption and resident participation programs at traditional market customer support centers.

Park Seong-su, Mayor of Songpa District, said, “I feel endless gratitude and a heavy sense of responsibility to the small business owners who sacrificed for the health of residents and the safety of the region for nearly two years,” adding, “We will implement policies that communicate and empathize with residents for sustainable recovery of daily life. If we unite our strength, any crisis can become an opportunity. I ask everyone to gather strength once again.”

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