Mandatory Closure of Large Mart, Nullification of Public Proposal... Following Private-led Regulatory Review Decision

First Regulatory Review Meeting Held on the 4th
Improvement Plan for Large Mart Business Regulations as First Agenda
Two-Week Online Public Discussion Starting from the 5th
570,000 'Likes' Proposal Invalidated
Contentious Agenda, Prolonged Discussions Expected

On the 25th, as vegetable and fruit prices rise due to the heatwave and monsoon, citizens are shopping at a large supermarket in Seoul. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

Discussions on the abolition of the 'mandatory closure of large marts' and other related issues are set to be reviewed by the government's regulatory tribunal, which is centered on private experts. Previously, a public proposal that received over 570,000 votes was invalidated due to an abuse (duplicate submission) issue. The industry believes that the discussions are likely to be prolonged.

According to the distribution industry on the 3rd, the Office for Government Policy Coordination will hold the 1st Regulatory Tribunal Meeting on the 4th, placing the improvement plan for large mart business regulations as the first agenda item for discussion. The Regulatory Tribunal consists of about 100 private experts and field activists, with 5 or fewer tribunal members assigned per agenda according to their area of expertise to review the appropriateness of regulations. The tribunal plans to hold continuous meetings without setting deadlines or limits on the number of sessions to reach acceptable outcomes after gathering opinions from stakeholders and the government. An online discussion involving the general public will also be held for two weeks starting from the 5th, immediately after the first meeting.

Under the Distribution Industry Development Act introduced in 2012, local government heads must designate two mandatory closure days for large marts each month. Accordingly, most regions nationwide, including Seoul, have set the second and fourth Sundays of each month as mandatory closure days. Operating hours are also restricted within the range from midnight to 10 a.m., and there are ongoing debates between those who argue that the mandatory closure of large marts should be improved to respond to changes in the distribution environment centered on online sales and to enhance consumer choice, and those who insist that the regulation should be maintained to protect small and medium-sized distribution businesses and small merchants.

Previously, in the 'Top 10 Public Proposals' vote conducted by the Presidential Office, the proposal to abolish the mandatory closure of large marts received 577,415 votes, ranking first. However, due to the abuse issue revealed during the vote, the 'active reflection of the top 3 national agendas' was invalidated.

The distribution industry sees significance in the issue coming to the surface but expects that it will take time to reach a conclusion. A representative from a large mart said, "No matter what process is followed, this is an issue that ultimately requires a legal amendment. Although the top 3 proposals were not announced, I believe that the National Assembly has received the voice of the people through this vote," adding, "I expect that the issue of consumer choice will be highlighted in the online discussion starting on the 5th."

Another large mart representative said, "There are voices that switching mandatory closure days to weekdays through local government ordinances without legal amendments is more realistic, but local governments also feel the burden of opposition from small merchants," adding, "Since discussions have started, a conclusion must be reached even if it takes time."

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