Good Products, Fair Prices... A Warm Winter for Merchants, Customers, and Neighbors

'Snow Flower Companion Festival' Held Nationwide Until the 31st
Up to 50% Discount on Small Business Products Online and Offline

"We are offering a special companion price right now."

On the afternoon of the 7th, the opening ceremony of the 'Snowflake Companion Festival' is taking place at the Eoullim Square of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul.

On the afternoon of the 7th, at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) Eoullim Square in Seoul, an exhibition and sale for the 'Snowflake Companion Festival' opening event took place. The most popular century-old stores and century-old small businesses nationwide, along with local hometown companies, showcased a variety of foods. There was a wide range of items including Busan fish cakes, Gongju chestnuts, as well as 'Anchovy Caesar Dressing' made by aging fresh anchovies from Tongyeong in oil, and dumplings from Yongmun Millennium Market in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province. Some booths displayed 'special companion prices' with discounts different from the usual prices. One vendor explained, "Normally, one bottle costs 5,000 won, but for the companion festival, we are selling it for 3,000 won."

The companion product exhibition hall displayed meal kits, clothing, red ginseng products, beef, and more. Visitors browsing said, "This looks good," as they scanned QR codes with their phones to check product descriptions. This companion product exhibition featured 100 carefully selected items chosen through public voting. Among them, 70 companies pledged to donate part of the proceeds from sales during the festival period. Across from the exhibition hall, at the companion photo studio, friends, couples, and families wearing headbands with the festival name were happily taking pictures. As part of a talent donation by the Korea Professional Photographers Association, photos were printed on the spot and given to participants after shooting.

Next to Eoullim Square at DDP D Forest, a flea market was held for entrepreneurial small business owners aspiring to become 'Lyicons.' Lyicons are innovative companies in the lifestyle and local sectors aiming to become unicorns. The flea market, divided into three sales zones?food and beverage, market, and goods?hosted about 50 entrepreneurial small business teams. Each booth was busy explaining their products. Okhee Mill, a sesame roastery, prepared different concentrations of perilla oil in soju glasses for customers to smell. Other eye-catching items included Ulleungdo pumpkin Makgeolli, a carbonated drink mixing cherry tomatoes and mint from Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, and snacks for companion dogs. One small business owner participating in the flea market said, "We have been preparing products since last summer for this event." On one side of the venue, an event for making Christmas ribbons was held, with participants lining up to wait.

On the afternoon of the 7th, perilla oil to be used for scent testing was prepared at the Kkae Roastery Okhee Bangatgan booth at the 'Local Festa with Raikon' flea market held at D-Sup, Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), Seoul.

The Companion Festival is a nationwide win-win discount event and a national consumption promotion campaign involving large retailers, small and medium enterprises, small business owners, traditional markets, and government and local authorities. This year's final Companion Festival, held until the 31st, is the third edition following the spring light in May and the golden harvest in September.

Offline sales include traditional markets and shopping districts (about 1,800 locations) and century-old stores (2,383 stores), as well as over 200 major public-private online distribution channels, offering up to 50% discounts on small and medium enterprise and small business products such as Christmas and year-end gifts.

This Snowflake Companion Festival particularly emphasizes 'sharing.' While maintaining the basic direction of boosting the domestic economy through public-private cooperation, it also aims to share warmth with marginalized neighbors during the year-end and New Year season. To spread this warmth everywhere, the slogan was set as 'All Citizens, Join Forces to Share Warmth (溫氣).' The types of warmth are diverse. The Cafe Owners Cooperative's warm tea sharing is 'Warm Vessel (溫器),' volunteer activities such as talent donations by the Small Business Federation are 'Warm Talent (溫技),' and a prize event for blood donation certificate holders is 'Warm Self (溫己).' Thirteen regional Small and Medium Venture Business Administrations plan to hold product sales exhibitions with local small and medium enterprises and small business owners and donate the proceeds.

The promotional models include singer 'Tay' and six small business owners selected considering gender (3 men, 3 women), region (Seoul, Gyeonggi, Yeongnam, Honam, Gangwon, Chungcheong), and age (20s to 70s). They include Go Young-su, CEO of Ssangyong Banjeom, selected as a friendly company at this year's Small Business Conference Industrial Award; Jung Hee-yoon, CEO of Nadri Food, the first century-old store in Gyeongbuk region in 2018; and Chu Sang-mi, CEO of Parkgane Bindaetteok, who inherited a 60-year-old traditional mung bean pancake shop in Seoul's Gwangjang Market and runs it as the third generation. They conducted a warmth-sharing ceremony at the opening event held at DDP that day. The event symbolizes spreading a beacon of hope and sharing warm energy with small and medium enterprises and small business owners struggling due to the economic downturn.

On the afternoon of the 7th, participating small business owners showcased their products to citizens at the opening event of the "Snowflake Companion Festival" held at the Seoul Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) Eoullim Square.

Until the end of the year when the Snowflake Companion Festival concludes, the individual purchase limit for Onnuri gift certificates will increase by 300,000 won. Paper certificates can be purchased up to 1.3 million won, and mobile/rechargeable cards up to 1.8 million won, all at a 10% discounted price.

Various challenges have been prepared online to support small business owners. The official social network service (SNS) challenge is the '1-Second Superconductor Challenge,' inspired by the globally popular superconductor dance. It expresses hopes for the economic takeoff. The 'Warmth Sharing Challenge' promotes local stores that help neighbors through good prices and good deeds.

Lee Young, Minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, "I hope the strength gathered by all citizens through this Companion Festival will be delivered as warm energy to the small and medium enterprises and small business owners around us."

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