Donghae City: Traditional Markets Captured by Millennials & Gen Z Emerge as New Cultural Content

Donghae City Commercial District Revitalization Foundation
Announces 15 Winners of the 2nd Traditional Market Photo Contest

The Donghae City Commercial District Revitalization Foundation (Chairman Kim Jungyun) in Gangwon Province has announced the 15 winning entries of the '2nd Donghae City Traditional Market Photo Contest.' This year’s contest saw a 24% increase in participants and a 34% rise in submitted works compared to last year, indicating a significant boost in interest in traditional markets among both citizens and tourists.

Grand Prize 'Selection Work'. Provided by Donghae City

Notably, participants born in the 1990s accounted for the largest share at 39% in this year’s contest. This demonstrates that traditional markets are gaining attention as new cultural and tourism content among Millennials & Gen Z.

In addition, while Donghae East Sea Central Market and Bukpyeong Folk Market have traditionally been popular, the proportion of entries featuring the Mukho Port Fresh Seafood Market surged from 5% last year to 19% this year. This trend suggests that participants’ interest is expanding to include a variety of spaces such as port and fishing village-type markets.

The judging, held on the 22nd, involved both internal and external experts, including professors and photographers, who evaluated submissions based on four criteria: creativity, entertainment value, promotional potential, and storytelling. As a result, a total of 15 winners were selected.

The prestigious Grand Prize was awarded to Lee Mo for 'Selection Work.' This entry was highly praised for capturing the dynamic scene of fishermen sorting freshly caught fish at Mukho Port Fresh Seafood Market.

The foundation plans to use this contest as an opportunity to document the value of traditional markets. In addition to launching an online exhibition for the winning works, it will actively utilize these entries as promotional resources for traditional markets by developing strategies to attract more tourists through transportation infrastructure such as KTX.

Chairman Kim Jungyun stated, "This contest has served as an opportunity to newly imprint traditional markets on the younger generation and external tourists. Moving forward, we will continue to develop traditional markets as central platforms for the local economy and cultural tourism."

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