"Here to Eat Pohang Gwamegi!" ... Jukdo Market Bustling, Local Economy Revitalized

Jukdo Market Gwamegi Officially Released, Crowds Gather at Snow Crab and Sashimi Town Streets

Mayor Lee Gang-deok: "We Will Focus Administrative Efforts to Resolve Visitor Inconveniences"

As crowds flock to Pohang Jukdo Market, the largest on the East Coast, to taste gwamegi and snow crab, the representative winter delicacies of the region, the traditional market's commercial district is regaining vitality.

On the 26th, Pohang Jukdo Fish Market was bustling with consumers coming to purchase gwamegi and snow crabs.

According to Pohang City, as gwamegi enters its peak season and shipments begin in earnest, a continuous stream of visitors crowded the snow crab and sashimi town street within Pohang Jukdo Market last weekend, with dried seafood and other marine products also selling well as popular items.

In particular, ‘Pohang Guryongpo Gwamegi,’ which is rapidly growing with an annual sales target of 60 billion KRW, is gaining popularity due to its chewy texture and its content of calcium, omega-3, asparagine, and vitamins, which are said to help boost immunity, leading to a sharp increase in sales.

A vendor selling gwamegi at Jukdo Fish Market explained that sales exceed 5 million KRW on average during weekends, and more than 1 million KRW worth of delivery and on-site sales are made even on weekdays.

Thanks to the popularity of Jukdo Market, tourist buses from all over the country continue to arrive. On average, 50 buses visit Jukdo Market daily, with over 80 buses on weekends, as out-of-town tourists purchase fresh seafood and local agricultural products, resulting in increased sales despite the difficult economic situation and creating a bustling marketplace.

The vitality of Jukdo Market was greatly supported by Pohang City's initiative to open public parking lots for free. To alleviate citizen inconvenience caused by road control in front of Jukdo Fish Market and to stimulate consumption, Pohang City is offering one hour of free parking until the end of the year at three locations: Jukdo Market Public Parking Lot, Chilseongcheon Parking Lot, and Jukdo Fish Market (Tower).

Additionally, to address concerns about seafood safety following the discharge of contaminated water from Fukushima, the Seafood Quality Control Center conducts microbial and radiation tests on gwamegi, seafood, and other locally produced marine products, publishing the results on its website to prevent a decline in seafood consumption.

Along with this, Pohang City plans to actively support facility investments such as the creation of a dried seafood arcade and other improvements to aging facilities through the 2024 Traditional Market Facility Modernization Support, as well as support for digital traditional market development projects. The city also intends to enhance the traditional market environment by improving public restroom facilities at Jukdo Market and repairing fire safety equipment to ensure a safe and pleasant market atmosphere.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok stated, “We will focus our administrative efforts to resolve inconveniences for tourists and citizens using Jukdo Market, Pohang’s representative traditional market, and other local traditional markets. We will strengthen communication and cooperation with merchants and seek ways to revitalize the local economy through various policies.”

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