Pilot Operation of 'Mobile Supermarkets' in 18 Cities and Counties... Government Supports 'Vehicle Purchase and Equipment'

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Plans 'Gagahoho Rural Mobile Market' Initiative

The government has decided to pilot a mobile marketplace targeting rural areas where grocery stores have disappeared, making it difficult to purchase food and essential industrial goods.

On the 29th, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs held an on-site meeting in Myoryang-myeon, Yeonggwang-gun, chaired by Minister Song Mi-ryeong, and announced the plan to promote the 'Gagahoho Rural Mobile Marketplace'.

Pocheon-si Soheul Nonghyup Visiting Happiness Market. (Photo by Pocheon-si)

An official from the Ministry explained, "The mobile marketplace aims to address the 'food desert' problem, where rural villages lose retail stores due to population decline and poor transportation conditions, making it difficult to buy food and essential industrial goods. According to the 2020 Agricultural and Fishery Census by Statistics Korea, out of 37,563 administrative villages nationwide, 27,609 (73.5%) have no food and beverage retail businesses within their jurisdiction."

At this on-site meeting, eight cities and counties, including Yangyang-gun, Wanju-gun, Jangsu-gun, Suncheon-si, Gangjin-gun, Hampyeong-gun, Yeonggwang-gun, and Uiseong-gun, along with local agricultural cooperatives, participated, expressing their intention to join the mobile marketplace initiative out of 18 interested parties.

Myoryang-myeon, where the meeting was held, has been operating a mobile marketplace since 2010, led by a private organization (Yeomin Dongrak Community). They load trucks with daily necessities and local agricultural products and deliver and sell them twice a week to 42 rural villages. Additionally, Soheul Nonghyup in Pocheon-si has been running a 'Visiting Happiness Market' since 2019 in cooperation with local governments to support vulnerable groups. This initiative not only sells daily necessities but also serves as a communication channel, providing companionship to local residents.

The Ministry plans to promote the Gagahoho Rural Mobile Marketplace as a catalyst to spread such mobile marketplace operations and provide the lacking living services in rural areas. The Ministry will subsidize special vehicles and equipment, while local governments will coordinate with private sectors (such as Nonghyup Hanaro Mart and local retail stores) to secure manpower and determine operation methods.

Moreover, the plan includes not only mobile marketplaces but also support for shuttle buses that directly connect rural villages to retail stores, as well as various types of living services such as welfare, culture, and care beyond just delivering daily necessities. These options will be presented to local governments to operate in ways that reflect regional conditions and characteristics.

To promote the Gagahoho Rural Mobile Marketplace, the Ministry, together with Nonghyup, will produce and distribute an 'Operation Guideline for Mobile Marketplaces' to local governments. The Ministry will also select pilot districts at the city and county level and encourage local governments to establish basic plans this year to support rural residents in enjoying convenient living as soon as possible.

Minister Song said, "I ask local governments and Nonghyup to actively participate in enhancing the welfare and quality of life of rural residents so that the Gagahoho Rural Mobile Marketplace can become an oasis in food deserts. The government will also spare no support for local governments interested in the Gagahoho Rural Mobile Marketplace."

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